Play Pretend

The first win came at Market Rasen in June 2024, and the second at Worcester in July 2025 — a full year ago now. That gap matters. Six races without a win is the kind of run that tests patience, and yet Play Pretend keeps posting respectable results: two second-place finishes, a third, and another third in its last six outings. There is clearly ability here. The wins just aren't coming.

In the saddle for most of those runs has been Lee Edwards, who has partnered Play Pretend in 13 of its 15 races. That is a strong working relationship by any measure, and the two wins they have shared give them a 15% win rate together — roughly 1 in every 6.5 races — which is a touch better than the horse's overall record. Trainer Dave Roberts operates out of Kenley in Shropshire, and his yard has been in decent form this season with six winners already sent out.

The level Play Pretend tends to compete at is Class 4, which sits squarely in the middle of the racing ladder — not the top tier, but not the bottom either. At that level, Play Pretend has won 1 from 5 races. Given how consistently it finishes in the places, there is a case that on the right day, in the right race, another win is not far away. The horse raced just one day ago, so it is very much in active training and going to the well regularly. Whether that next win arrives soon, or whether the placed finishes keep stacking up, Play Pretend is the kind of horse that reliably gives its the yard something to cheer about — even when it does not quite get its nose in front.