Wheels Of Fire

The horse's breakthrough came at Lingfield Park on 31 August 2024, a debut win that set the tone for what would become a grinding journey through the handicap ranks. For long stretches he was a perennial also-ran, but on 29 July, three weeks ago, he won at Sandown Park—the kind of result that keeps a trainer's faith alive. What matters more is how Hannon reads the ground beneath his hooves. The trainer has noted that Wheels Of Fire performs far better on soft, muddy ground than on quicker surfaces, and the handicapper's response to his Musselburgh win—an 8-pound rise in the weights—may have been hasty. Last week at Newbury, the horse was sent off at 14-1, a price that suggested the betting public agreed the new mark was too harsh. He finished out of the frame, but the trajectory is clear: Hannon believes his horse has untapped potential, particularly at five furlongs where speed matters most.

At Class 4 level, Wheels Of Fire has won just once from ten races, a sobering statistic that underlines how tough that tier is. His recent six races tell a similar story of struggle punctuated by occasional promise—a seventh place, then a second, then placings and unplaced finishes. Yet he is still active, still racing, and in a yard as prolific as Hannon's, which has already sent out 118 winners this season, there is always the sense that the next opportunity might be the one. Big handicaps are coming, the trainer says, and patience may yet be rewarded.