Lovingly labelled as ‘thick’ by his trainer, Runninwild stunned the horse racing community in May 2021, when he came first of a field of 13 at Redcar.
It was only his 3rd race, having come last and second last on his previous two outings, and his trainer, Ann Duffield didn’t think he stood a chance in this one, either. She didn’t even have a bet on him.
Speaking after the win, she said he had blistering speed but no idea how to use it.
She went on to say:
“The penny finally dropped! He’s been quite thick. If he’d gone to school, he’d have been bottom of the class, or expelled!”
Ann’s husband, George Duffield, is a retired jockey with more than 2,500 wins under his belt, and it was he who gave Runninwild his final ride out before the race.
The pair believe the gelding’s improved form was due to race experience and more favourable ground, but the horse went on to come last twice and second last once in his next three races. He was up and down his whole career, with several more wins as well as plenty of last place finishes.
Interestingly, his next win came at 50/1, after the hysteria around his first win had died down. It was almost like he did it on purpose, playing the racing community like a pool shark.
On the day of his historic 200/1 win at Redcar, Runninwild stayed close to the leaders for most of the race, before mounting his challenge 2 furlongs out. He took the lead inside the final furlong and finished strongly.
This gained Runninwild a place among a very small number of horses to have won at such long odds. He is the joint second longest priced winner in history, with only Equinoctial winning at higher odds of 250/1.