Prince Of Pillo

The summer of 2022 was when this horse announced itself. It landed its first career win at Ayr in July of that year, then followed up with a Class 2 at Ripon the following month — one of the better races in Britain below the top tier — and then, the real headline: a Class 1 victory back at Ayr in September. Three wins in three months, culminating in one of the top races in Britain. For a yard like Richard and Peter Fahey's, which has sent out 23 winners already this season, Prince Of Pillo was exactly the kind of horse you build a stable around.

That Ayr connection is worth dwelling on. Two wins from just four races at the track — that is a 50% win rate at a single course, which is the kind of number that makes trainers keep putting a horse on the horsebox heading north. Course specialists are a real thing in racing, and the tight, flat nature of Ayr clearly suits how this horse travels and finishes.

Since those heady days of 2022, however, the wins have become harder to find. Prince Of Pillo last won at Southwell in April 2025 — over 15 months ago — and the most recent six runs read 11-8-6-9-2-11, which tells the story of a horse working hard without much reward. Even at Class 2 level, where it spends most of its time, the win rate is just 1 from 8 races. A second place lurks in that recent sequence, which at least suggests the talent has not entirely vanished.

Oisin Orr has been the most regular partner in the saddle, winning 1 of their 5 races together — roughly 1 in 5. The horse performs best on normal ground, winning 2 from 6 races in those conditions, or 1 in every 3 times. It is still racing — it ran just yesterday — so the Fahey team clearly believe there is another win in here somewhere. Whether lightning can strike twice at Ayr remains to be seen.