Play Pretend

The first win came at Market Rasen in June 2024, and the second — and most recent — arrived at Worcester in July 2025. That Worcester victory is the high point of the CV so far, and it's worth noting that Play Pretend has raced just once since then, yesterday, meaning the team clearly believes there is more to come. Whether that belief is justified is the interesting question, because recent form has been patchy: the last six runs read 8-5-2-2-3-1, a sequence that shows real consistency in the middle — two seconds and a third in a row — before things fell apart a little in the most recent outings.

Lee Edwards has been the regular partner, riding in 12 of Play Pretend's 13 races and winning twice, a win rate of 17% — slightly better than 1 in 6. That kind of long-standing partnership matters; a jockey who knows a horse's quirks and preferences is often the difference between a placing and a win. Trainer Dave Roberts has had six winners this season from his yard, which suggests a small but functioning operation that isn't firing on all cylinders yet.

Play Pretend tends to compete at Class 4 level — solid, mid-tier racing, a step below the top end of the sport but far from a pushover. One win from five races at that level (20%, or 1 in 5) shows the horse belongs there and can beat that class of field when conditions align. At £74,000 in career earnings... actually, no career earnings figure was provided, so that detail is left aside. What can be said is that this is a horse in active training, seen out just yesterday, and with a record that suggests the next win is possible rather than inevitable. That tension is what makes watching Play Pretend worthwhile.