The Wicked Wolf

The recent run of results tells an interesting story. Reading from oldest to newest, The Wicked Wolf went from an eighth — which looks like a low point — to a win, then a third, and most recently a sixth. That dip back to sixth after the placed effort is worth watching, but with only four races on the clock, it would be premature to read too much into any single result. Young horses at this stage are still finding their feet, and a yard sending out 48 winners in a season clearly knows how to place a horse to its best advantage.

That yard belongs to Jamie Osborne, based at Upper Lambourn in Berkshire, one of British racing's most established training villages. Forty-eight winners in a season is a serious tally — it means Osborne's team is finding the winner's enclosure roughly once a week on average, and horses from this stable tend to be placed thoughtfully rather than thrown into races beyond them. The Wicked Wolf raced just yesterday, so whatever comes next is likely not far away.