Wahraan

The most recent example came at Southwell, where Wahraan found itself roughly 30 lengths behind every other horse in the field. A sensible horse accepts its fate. Wahraan, apparently, does not. It decided to start racing in earnest from that hopeless position, burned through an enormous amount of energy doing so, and somehow finished third. It is hard to know whether to be impressed or exasperated. Jessica Bedi, who trains Wahraan from her yard in Kirklevington, North Yorkshire, seems to feel both at once. Her assessment is blunt: he runs the most inefficient, energy-consuming races imaginable, and unlocking his brain is the project. If that project ever succeeds, she believes there is a proper race in him.

The talent does occasionally surface in cleaner form. Wahraan has won twice over distances between a mile and six furlongs and two miles — two wins from 12 races at those trips, a win rate of around 17%, which is noticeably better than his overall record. His most recent race, at Market Rasen this week, ended in victory, making him a horse that is actively competing and winning at the age of eight. He won his first race at Newbury back in June 2024, and at the level he typically operates — Class 4, one of the mid-tier levels of British racing — he wins roughly 2 in every 11 races at that grade, which is a decent return if only he could be relied upon to actually try.

Saffie Osborne rides him most often, one win from 12 attempts together, and Bedi's yard has sent out two winners this season. The trainer's instinct is to keep Wahraan in training into next year, hoping that a winter reset might bring some clarity to a horse whose ability clearly outstrips his willingness to deploy it consistently. That is the puzzle with Wahraan: the wins are real, the talent is real, and so is the chaos. Whether those things ever fully align is the question.