Sir Tivo

His record speaks for itself. Nine wins from 34 races, which works out at roughly 1 in every 4 starts, with 19 further placed efforts meaning he has been in the money more often than not. But the numbers that really stand out belong to his partnership with jockey Sean Bowen — eight wins from just 16 races together, meaning they have won exactly half the time they have lined up. That is an extraordinary ratio at any level of the sport, and Bowen has made no secret of his fondness for the horse's attitude and enthusiasm. When a top jockey talks about a horse's character the way Bowen talks about Sir Tivo, it tells you something.

Trainer Gary Hanmer, based in Tattenhall in Cheshire, has built a yard in fine form — 19 winners this season already — and Sir Tivo remains one of its flagship horses. Hanmer describes him as incredible, and it is hard to argue. The horse loves sharp, quick tracks, and it shows: two wins from three races at Warwick make him something of a specialist there, and his Class 2 win at Stratford-on-Avon in July 2023 on fast, dry ground showed he can step up to the top level and deliver. Most of his racing has been at Class 3, where he has won 5 of 12 races — that is winning 42% of the time at that level, which is a genuinely impressive number.

His most recent win came at Wetherby in October 2025, reportedly in a course-record time. Since then his form reads 2-blank-1-4-2-3 in reverse, which is consistently competitive without another victory. The team have been patient, waiting for the right ground conditions, and at 12, Sir Tivo is being managed carefully — he needs two to three weeks between races. He raced just yesterday, which means whatever comes next is not far away. For a horse who cost less than a second-hand car, that is quite some career.