Way Of Life

Jonathan Portman, who trains him at Upper Lambourn in Berkshire, puts it well. He describes Way Of Life as having been "raw and ignorant and gormless" as a younger horse — a horse with ability that, in his trainer's words, "kept it well hidden." That is a generous way of saying he took a long time to figure things out. But figure them out he has. Portman's yard has been in excellent shape this season, sending out 46 winners, and Way Of Life has been one of the horses doing his bit.

The key to unlocking him has been Lingfield Park. He has won 3 of his 7 races there — that is nearly one in every two and a half — which is a remarkable return for any horse. Most horses visit a track repeatedly without ever getting comfortable there. Way Of Life has turned Lingfield into something close to a home patch, with his most recent win there coming just three months ago in April. He also goes particularly well on normal ground conditions, winning 7 of his 23 races on a standard surface — roughly 1 in 3, which is a genuinely impressive number at his level.

He competes mostly in Class 4 races, which sit in the middle tier of British racing. His win rate there is 9% — roughly 1 in 11 — which sounds modest, but it reflects the fact that Class 4 fields are competitive and consistent, and grinding out nine wins across a career at that level takes real durability. His regular jockey Rob Hornby has ridden him 13 times for just one win together, though the recent purple patch has come with others aboard.

Portman has hinted the horse is being aimed at the amateur riders' Derby at Epsom, a race he has contested before. It would be a step up in class and, by the trainer's own admission, Epsom is a track Way Of Life is unlikely to enjoy. But with a horse running this well, you can understand the temptation to dream a little bigger.