Volenti

Newcastle has been Volenti's happiest hunting ground. It has won four times from 21 races there, a win rate that stands well above its overall record and suggests the track, the distance, or something about the place simply suits. Most tellingly, its last win came at Newcastle on 31 January 2025 — just under two years ago. That gap matters. Volenti hasn't visited the winner's circle since, and its recent form has been stuck in the also-ran slots: two seconds, two thirds, a fourth, and a fifth in the last six outings. The horse is still racing and still competitive enough to pick up places, but the wins have dried up.

Andrew Mullen, its most frequent partner in the saddle, has ridden Volenti to four of its five victories, a partnership that works at nearly one in four races — significantly better than the horse manages with other riders. That suggests a real working relationship, the kind where jockey and horse have learned each other. For a horse at this level, such continuity matters. Volenti remains active and useful, the sort of honest campaigner that keeps a trainer's win rate ticking over, but the best days appear to be behind it.