The Real Whacker

The frustration, though, lies in how ground-dependent he is. On wet or muddy ground, The Real Whacker is a different animal altogether, winning 3 of 6 races — a 50% win rate that his trainer, Patrick Neville, identifies as the key to unlocking him. Last season, Neville admits to having made tactical choices he regrets, and the horse seemed haunted by bad luck: every time they aimed him at a race, the weather would shift the wrong way. But in November 2024, conditions finally aligned. At Wetherby, on the ground he loves, The Real Whacker swept to victory in a top-level race, snapping a two-year drought since his last win at Cheltenham in March 2023. Neville said afterwards that he had never lost faith, and the relief was palpable.

Recent form tells a more complicated story. In his last six races, he has won once, placed three times, and failed to trouble the frame twice — the kind of patchy consistency that comes with age and the gruelling demands of top-class racing. Sam Twiston-Davies, his most frequent partner, has ridden him 8 times, winning twice. But Neville's long-term plan is unmistakable: he is being aimed at the Gold Cup at Cheltenham, the race that defines a jumper's career. The trainer has mentioned the King George and the Cotswold Chase as stepping stones, suggesting that at ten years old, with his record and his love for Cheltenham, The Real Whacker might yet have one last crack at immortality.