Resplendent Grey

What makes Resplendent Grey genuinely fascinating is that he tends to show up on the biggest occasions. Two of his seven career wins have come in Class 1 races — the top tier of British racing — and he's won 2 of 8 attempts at that level, a 25% win rate in the sport's equivalent of championship finals. He won at Sandown Park in April 2025 and followed it up with another top-level success at Carlisle in November, with jockey Sean Bowen steering him to a sprint finish that his trainer Olly Murphy noted was impressive for a horse who has won over marathon distances. The pair have a strong partnership: Bowen has been on board for all seven of his wins, riding him 17 times in total and winning on 41% of those occasions — roughly 2 in every 5 rides together.

Murphy, who trains out of Wilmcote in Warwickshire — a yard that has sent out 146 winners this season alone — is candid about what he has on his hands. Resplendent Grey is a horse capable of brilliance but also capable of a bad day, and the trainer acknowledges that getting him away cleanly from the start is often the difference. When things click, as they did at Sandown where cheekpieces helped him settle and he came home strongly, he's capable of beating very good horses in very good races. When they don't, he can disappoint.

The next chapter looks genuinely ambitious. Murphy has mentioned the Cheltenham Gold Cup — the most prestigious jump race in the world — as a potential target, along with the Ultima Handicap at the same festival and, remarkably, a Grand National entry. His recent form shows two wins sandwiched around some below-par efforts, so he remains a horse you need catching on the right day. But on the right day, as his trainer puts it, he's very good indeed.