Threeunderthrufive

The peak of the career arrived in a remarkable purple patch in late 2021 and early 2022. Two wins in quick succession at Exeter and Cheltenham in November, then Doncaster in December, then Warwick in January — four top-level races in the space of ten weeks. It was the kind of run that marks a horse out as genuinely special. The final jewel in the crown came over two years later, when Threeunderthrufive landed another Class 1 at Ascot in February 2024, prompting trainer Paul Nicholls to say the jumping that day was as good as he had ever seen it. Nicholls, who operates one of Britain's most powerful yards and has sent out 92 winners already this season from his Ditcheat base, clearly has a real soft spot for this horse.

The frustrating truth, though, is that since that Ascot victory 26 months ago, Threeunderthrufive hasn't won again. Six races, no wins, one fourth place — and at 11 years old, the clock is ticking. Nicholls has been candid about the problem: the horse's official rating tends to sit a few pounds too high for it to be competitive on level terms. An entry in the Grand National ended after just one circuit, which tells its own story. The good news is that a losing run has nudged the rating back down to roughly the mark off which that Ascot win came, so the opportunity exists.

One thing that genuinely helps is the ground. On slightly soft, wet conditions, Threeunderthrufive has won 3 of 8 races — 38%, or more than 1 in every 3. That is a dramatically better record than on any other surface, and in a British winter there is rarely a shortage of soft ground. Regular partner Harry Cobden has won just 1 of their 12 races together, which is a modest 8%, so the combination hasn't quite clicked the way the yard might have hoped. But with a fresh racing age, a yard firing on all cylinders, and the rating back in a workable place, there is at least a case that the best may not quite be behind this horse yet.