Wheels of Fire

His recent form tells a story of inconsistency. In his last six runs, he has finished fourth, twelfth, seventh, first, seventh, and fourth again — results that jump around like a horse struggling to find his rhythm. That sole win came at Sandown Park on 29 July, now three months in the past, a gap that suggests he has chased opportunities without quite finding them. His most recent outing was just a day ago, so he remains an active runner, but the question hanging over him is whether Richard Hannon's yard can unlock what has been locked away.

Trainer Richard Hannon, who sent out 118 winners from Herridge in Wiltshire this season, offered an intriguing observation after Wheels of Fire's last run: the handicapper had raised the horse's weight allowance significantly after a win on soft ground, a decision Hannon questioned at the time. When the horse was sent off at 14-1 odds at Newbury — long odds that suggested the market agreed the new weight was tough — the result confirmed Hannon's suspicion. The trainer sees potential in dropping back to five furlongs, believing the horse carries genuine speed, but admits the ground ahead will be difficult. Wheels of Fire has never quite delivered enough to suggest he is a horse about to break through. Instead, he looks like a battler at exactly his current level, waiting for a race to fall right and the handicapper to relent.