Vilaine Verlaine
There is something quietly frustrating about Vilaine Verlaine's recent record. This four-year-old has won 2 races from 14 outings — roughly 1 in every 7 — but the last of those victories came at Chelmsford back in December 2024, and since then it has been a run of six races without a win. The most recent form figures read 2-13-6-10-5-2, which tells a story of a horse that can get close but cannot quite get the job done.Based on TrackLab's analysis
📊 Key numbers
Career totals for this horse
🔍 Full analysis
Our model's view, based on this horse's career and recent runs
What makes the record more interesting is where those two wins actually came from. At a trip of one mile three to one mile four furlongs, Vilaine Verlaine has won 2 of its 4 races — a 50% win rate that is genuinely impressive. That is a horse that clearly has a preferred distance and knows how to use it. The problem is that when it steps up in class to Class 5 races — not the top tier, but still a competitive level — it has drawn a blank in all five attempts, losing every single one. That gap between what the horse can do at the right trip and what it actually delivers at its most common level of competition is the central puzzle here.
Mark Usher trains the horse from his yard at Upper Lambourn in Berkshire, and the team has had a solid enough season with 14 winners sent out. Vilaine Verlaine raced just one day ago, so it is very much in the middle of an active campaign. Whether the team can find the right combination of distance and conditions to unlock another win — as they did twice before at Chelmsford — is the question worth watching.
⚡ Strengths and risks
What helps this horse and what to watch out for
✓ What works in their favour
✔ Excellent record on standard_to_slow ground: 1 wins from 3 starts (33%)
✔ Well suited by 1m3f – 1m4f distances: 50% win rate
⚠ What to watch out for
⚠ Poor record on good ground: 0 wins from 4 starts
⚠ Poor record on good_to_firm ground: 0 wins from 4 starts
⚠ Struggles on RH Galloping tracks: 0 wins from 6 starts
⚠ Struggles on LH Galloping tracks: 0 wins from 5 starts
🎯 Where this horse runs best
Results split by ground, distance, race level and track shape
🌧 Ground
Standard to slow (all-weather)
Loves
Good to soft (some give)
Unknown
Standard (all-weather)
Unknown
Good (a little give)
Avoids
Good to firm (fairly firm)
Avoids
📏 Race distance
Long Distance (2M+)
Unknown
🏅 Race level
Class 5 (entry-level)
Avoids
Class 6 (grassroots)
Unknown
🏟 Track shape
Left-handed, tight turns
Unknown
Right-handed, hilly
Unknown
Right-handed, long straights
Avoids
Left-handed, long straights
Avoids
📅 Recent runs
The last 10 races, most recent first
7 Oct
7th
Kempton Park
1m6f – 2m · 9 runners
26 Jun
5th
Newmarket
Long Distance (2m+) · Good_To_Firm · 5 runners
10 Jun
2nd
Kempton Park
1m6f – 2m · Standard_To_Slow · 8 runners
15 May
13th
Newbury
1m6f – 2m · Good · 16 runners
25 Apr
6th
Doncaster
1m3f – 1m4f · Good_To_Firm · 7 runners
30 Jul
10th
Sandown Park
1m1f – 1m2f · Good · 10 runners
12 Jun
5th
Newbury
1m6f – 2m · Good_To_Firm · 12 runners
28 May
2nd
Kempton Park
1m3f – 1m4f · Standard_To_Slow · 12 runners
2 May
4th
Goodwood
1m1f – 1m2f · Good · 11 runners
12 Dec
🏆 Won
chelmsford
1m3f – 1m4f · Standard · 8 runners
🏇 Jockeys
Every jockey who has ridden this horse, most rides first
🏟 Course record
Win rate at each course this horse has visited
| Course | Races | Results | Last run | Win rate |
|---|
| Kempton Park Galloping |
3 |
2 seconds, 1 other |
7 Oct |
0% |
| chelmsford |
2 |
2 wins |
12 Dec |
100% |
| Lingfield Park Sharp |
2 |
2 other |
10 Aug |
0% |
| Newmarket Galloping |
2 |
2 other |
26 Jun |
0% |
| Newbury Galloping |
2 |
2 other |
15 May |
0% |
| Chepstow Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
26 Aug |
0% |
| Goodwood Undulating |
1 |
1 other |
2 May |
0% |
| Doncaster Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
25 Apr |
0% |
| Great Yarmouth Galloping |
1 |
1 second |
19 Sep |
0% |
| Sandown Park Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
30 Jul |
0% |