Wrappedupinmay

The most recent of those Exeter wins came in January 2024, and that matters because Wrappedupinmay has not raced since. Fourteen months off the track is a significant absence, and anyone watching this horse return will be doing so with that question hanging in the air: is it the same horse that won here before? Trained by S Curling out of Cashel in County Tipperary, the yard has sent out 14 winners already this season, so there is clearly plenty of life in the operation. That gives some reason for quiet optimism.

Harry Cobden has ridden Wrappedupinmay in 6 of its 8 career races, winning once together — roughly 1 in every 6 rides. That is a modest return from what is clearly an established partnership, though the horse's form figures from its last six outings tell a reasonable story: two placings, a win, a fifth, a third, and then the long silence. The run before the layoff was that Exeter victory, which is the best possible note to go out on.

At eight years old and competing mainly in Class 4 races — the bread and butter of the sport, a step below the big occasions — Wrappedupinmay is not a horse chasing glory at the top level. What it is, though, is a horse with a very clear comfort zone. Get it back to Exeter, on the right day, and history suggests it knows exactly what to do.