The Scorpion King

What makes him genuinely interesting, though, is what happens when conditions fall his way. On wet, muddy ground — the sort of heavy going that turns a track into a slog and puts lesser horses off entirely — The Scorpion King transforms. He has won 2 of just 4 races in those conditions, a 50% record that is extraordinary by any measure. Half the time he races on a truly sodden track, he wins. That is not a fluke; that is a horse built for mud.

He has also developed a real affinity with Ffos Las, the Welsh course tucked away near Llanelli. Two wins from four visits there is the kind of record that makes trainers circle a venue on the calendar. His most recent win came at Ffos Las on 19 December 2024, and before that his first career victory arrived at Fontwell Park in March of the same year — so 2024 was the year this horse finally announced himself, having taken his time to get there.

Since that Ffos Las win, though, it has been 16 months without a victory. His last six races have brought a third place and little else to shout about, and the recent form figures — 8-3-6 and a couple of no-shows — do not make for cheerful reading. Jockey Gavin Sheehan, who knows him as well as anyone having partnered him 12 times, wins on him at a rate of roughly 1 in 6, which is respectable but not enough to suggest a return to form is imminent.

Oliver Signy's yard at Upper Lambourn has sent out three winners this season, so the operation is ticking along. The formula for The Scorpion King, when it works, is fairly clear: get him to Ffos Las, wait for rain, and let him do the rest.