Puddlesinthepark

The most striking thing about him is what happens when he goes to Ffos Las, the track nestled in south-west Wales. He has won 3 times from 10 races there — 30%, or nearly 1 in every 3. For context, his win rate everywhere else is considerably thinner, so Ffos Las clearly suits him in a way that few venues do. Perhaps it's the layout, perhaps it's the ground conditions that tend to come up there — but whatever the reason, he treats it like a home fixture. His most recent win came there in October 2025, a three-mile-plus chase in which he won by eleven lengths. That kind of margin doesn't suggest a horse scraping over the line — it suggests a horse in form and racing well within himself.

His trainer Mrs C Williams, based at Llancarfan in the Vale of Glamorgan, paints an encouraging picture. Earlier in the campaign he won three races in a row before taking a short break, then returned in October to land that Ffos Las win off the highest mark of his career — meaning the race organisers had assessed him as harder to beat than ever before, and he still won, comfortably. He's only fractionally higher-rated now, so he hasn't been punished heavily for that success.

Recent form has been patchier — his last six runs show a win followed by a string of mid-pack finishes — but his trainer notes that soft, wet ground doesn't suit him. Spring conditions with a bit of moisture but not too much are where he tends to shine. With those conditions on the horizon and a possible tilt at one of the regional national-style races being considered, there's reason to keep an eye on him over the coming months. Isabel Williams rides him most often, winning once from 14 outings together, which is modest — but when Puddlesinthepark clicks, the margins suggest there's a bit more horse there than the record fully reflects.