Vafortino

His first win arrived at Ascot in May 2022 — already a statement venue — and he followed it up with another Class 2 victory at Goodwood just four months later. Goodwood and Ascot in the same season, at the highest levels of British racing, is the kind of résumé that tells you this is no ordinary horse. Then, in October 2023, he went to Redcar and won a Class 1 race outright. That is the pinnacle of British racing, and Vafortino has been there and delivered. His previous trainer Kevin Phillipart de Foy described him as "a tough horse" and noted he runs particularly well fresh — which fits a profile of a horse who saves his best for the big days rather than grinding through a busy schedule.

On normal ground conditions, Vafortino has won 3 from 12 races — a 25% win rate, or roughly 1 in 4. That is genuinely strong, and it explains why the team target those conditions when planning his campaign. His most frequent jockey, Benoit De La Sayette, has ridden him to 1 win from 7 races together. Jockey James Doyle, who rode him to his last win at Meydan in December 2023, described him as a horse who takes a little time to warm up in a race — the kind of detail that matters when you are navigating a big field and looking for a gap at just the right moment.

That Meydan win is now 30 months ago, and his last six runs have not produced a victory. At eight, he is not a young horse building towards something — he is a seasoned campaigner maintaining his place at the top end of the sport. Fellowes' yard has sent out 21 winners this season, so the stable is in good form around him. Whether Vafortino has another big day left in him is the question — but a horse who has won at Ascot, Goodwood, Redcar and Meydan has already answered most of the ones that matter.