When choosing my Venetia Williams horses to follow in 2026/27, last season provides a reminder that racing has a wicked sense of humour. Her yard endured its toughest campaign for years and finished with only 15 winners. Then, just when everyone had stopped looking, Martator popped up at 66/1 to win the Grand Annual at Cheltenham. Of course he did. This sport loves making fools of us.
The good news is that a difficult season has not suddenly made Williams a bad trainer. She still knows how to prepare a staying chaser and remains dangerous when the ground turns soft. The retirement of Royale Pagaille leaves a sizeable hole, but established names are ready to return and several younger horses could step forward during the 2026/27 jumps season. This is not a scientific ranking or an excuse to bury you under ratings. These are simply the ten horses from her yard I want in my tracker. At least one could make me look clever. Or very silly. We can revisit that in April.
If you want to look beyond Aramstone, I have also selected ten horses to follow from across Britain and Ireland.
| Horse | What makes him or her interesting | My ideal scenario |
|---|---|---|
| Djelo | The yard’s current headline act | A healthy return and a third Peterborough Chase |
| Martator | Grand Annual winner at 66/1 | More big two-mile handicaps with headgear retained |
| L’Homme Presse | Grade 1 class and enormous popularity | One more healthy campaign at the top level |
| Victtorino | Four British wins, all at Ascot | A valuable staying handicap at his favourite track |
| Zertakt | Lightly raced and finally delivered at Cheltenham | More progress over three miles on soft ground |
| Alcedo | Tough Newcastle winner with stamina to explore | A proper staying handicap in the mud |
| Holetown | Dual French chase winner who scored on her first British chase start | Progress through the mares’ chase programme |
| Catch On Me | Unexposed French recruit and maiden hurdle winner | More experience over intermediate trips before eventually going chasing |
| Jeu D’Opale | Returned to form with a seven-length Wincanton win | Building some consistency in mid-distance chases |
| Rine Yeats | Winning pointer with a staying pedigree | Progress from his encouraging Fontwell bumper debut |
1. Djelo: Venetia Williams’ Stable Star
Djelo is the easy one. He began last season by beating Pic D’Orhy in the Charlie Hall Chase and then became a back-to-back winner of the Peterborough Chase. Those two Grade 2 victories before Christmas confirmed his position as the stable star. His fifth in the King George VI Chase was also better than the bare result suggests, but an injury ended his campaign before Cheltenham.
Venetia Williams said the plan, all being well, was to bring him back in the autumn and target a third consecutive Peterborough Chase victory. I will happily buy a ticket for that. Djelo has enough pace for two and a half miles, stays further and usually jumps with the sort of rhythm that makes watching a chase feel wonderfully simple. It never is, obviously, but he does a good impression.
2. Martator: The 66/1 Grand Annual Winner
Anyone who backed Martator at 66/1 in the 2026 Grand Annual is welcome to buy the first round. The rest of us can sit quietly and pretend we nearly backed him.
His Grand Annual victory at the Cheltenham Festival rescued Venetia Williams’ season. First-time blinkers helped him travel with more purpose, while Charlie Deutsch got up to beat Jazzy Matty by a nose. You could have separated them with a betting slip, provided it was a thin one. Martator’s recent form figures offered little encouragement beforehand, although he had still been travelling well when unseating at Sandown. One afternoon has not necessarily solved everything. The handicapper will have his say and he will be ten by the next Festival, but sharp two-mile handicap chases with a strong pace should keep him interested.
3. L’Homme Presse: Venetia Williams’ Grade 1 Star
L’Homme Presse did not win last season, yet leaving him out would feel like ordering a Sunday roast and forgetting the gravy. The Grade 1 star remains one of the best and most popular horses Venetia Williams has trained.
The veteran finished second in both the Cotswold Chase and the Denman Chase before finishing fifth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. His proposed challenge in the 2026 Grand National disappeared after he was found lame in a foreleg, although the initial examinations did not reveal a serious injury. His place here naturally comes with an asterisk. We need to see him return sound, and nobody should demand another full campaign from a horse who owes his connections nothing. One more big Saturday would be rather lovely.
Djelo and L’Homme Presse already give us several major dates to circle, but they are only part of a packed winter across Britain and Ireland.
4. Victtorino: Venetia Williams’ Ascot Specialist
Victtorino has a very simple relationship with British racecourses: Ascot good, everywhere else slightly more complicated. All four of his British victories have come there, including consecutive editions of the valuable Silver Cup Handicap Chase.
He tried to complete a Silver Cup hat-trick in December 2025 and finished fifth. That was not the result his supporters wanted, but it was hardly a disaster during the yard’s cold spell. I would resist the temptation to reinvent him. A return to Ascot, a staying trip and properly soft ground sounds perfectly sensible. Sometimes racing analysis does not need a whiteboard and twelve coloured pens. Victtorino likes Ascot, so let him go back to Ascot.
5. Zertakt: An Unexposed Staying Chaser
Zertakt could be one of the most unexposed staying chasers on this list. Long absences have interrupted his career, but his two runs at the end of 2025 offered a much clearer picture of his ability.
He finished a good second at Newcastle in November before winning a competitive handicap chase over a little more than three miles at Cheltenham in December. The margin was only a neck, but I liked the way he stayed in the fight. His limited racing means we should not pretend he is bombproof. Fitness and continuity are the main issues. A healthy preparation could leave him well placed for valuable staying handicaps, and Zertakt will be one of the first names I search for when Venetia Williams begins declaring her winter team.
If you want to monitor the whole yard rather than just Zertakt, Racing Post keeps an updated record of Venetia Williams’ runners, results and statistics.
6. Alcedo: A Tough Staying Handicap Chaser
Alcedo supplied one of the best finishes of last season when he beat Grand Geste by a nose at Newcastle. He looked beaten after the second-last fence but fought back to lead on the line, which earned him both the race and a place in my good books.
That was his second victory over fences and suggested there may be more to come when stamina becomes important. His later attempt in the 2026 Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter ended with him being pulled up, so I am not ready to call him a marathon specialist. Trips around three miles on soft ground look a sensible starting point. He may lack the class of Djelo or L’Homme Presse, but horses such as Alcedo can be great fun. They jump, scrap and occasionally reward you just when you have started muttering at the television.
7. Holetown: A Mares’ Chase Prospect for 2026/27
Holetown is one of the younger names who could help move the stable forward. The dual French chase winner showed little in two British novice hurdles, but returning to fences brought an immediate improvement. She won a Class 3 mares’ handicap chase at Ludlow on her first British chase start, travelling into the race nicely before beating Georgi Girl by a length and a quarter.
That performance came during the yard’s sudden February revival, when five winners arrived from eight runners. Racing stables are funny places: nothing goes right for weeks, then everyone remembers where the winning post is at once. Holetown is not yet a star, and one Ludlow victory should not have us discussing the Cheltenham Festival before breakfast. Her age, jumping potential and eligibility for the mares’ chase programme still give Venetia Williams several attractive options.
If your tracker still has room, you can find all my latest stable guides and seasonal shortlists in one place.
8. Catch On Me: An Unexposed French Recruit
Catch On Me’s first British victory came with a little extra paperwork. He finished second past the post in a maiden hurdle at Fontwell in March 2026 but was promoted to first after the stewards decided interference had affected the result. Not the most cinematic way to win, perhaps, but the prize money spends exactly the same.
The French recruit was sent off favourite and remains lightly raced. His form does not justify wild predictions, although Venetia Williams has built much of her career by developing horses with this sort of profile into capable chasers. I expect hurdles to remain his immediate business, with another run over an intermediate trip potentially helping him. The long-term appeal lies over fences. Catch On Me is not the finished product, which is precisely why he belongs here.
9. Jeu D’Opale: A Soft-Ground Handicap Chaser
Jeu D’Opale deserves his place for helping to stop the bleeding in February 2026. Venetia Williams had gone 61 days and 70 runners without a winner before he landed a two-and-a-half-mile handicap chase at Wincanton at odds of 10/1. He did not scrape home either; he beat Bonza Boy by seven lengths.
He has shown his best form over fences, handles testing conditions and sits in the sort of handicap range where careful placement can make a huge difference. Consistency remains the concern, so I would not chase him blindly from race to race. His Wincanton performance showed what is available when he feels right. A similar mid-distance handicap chase on soft or heavy ground could put him back in the winner’s enclosure — preferably without another two-month stable drought beforehand.
10. Rine Yeats: An Irish Point Winner to Watch
Every list needs one horse who allows the imagination to wander, and Rine Yeats is mine. The six-year-old Irish point-to-point winner joined Venetia Williams for Old Gold Racing. He is by the four-time Ascot Gold Cup winner Yeats and out of a mare by Oscar. Nobody appears to have designed him with the Champion Chase in mind.
Rine Yeats finished third of five on his Rules debut in a Fontwell bumper in March 2026. He returned to Aramstone in August, and the next step should tell us much more about him. Patience will be important. Point winners do not automatically become Saturday chasers, whatever the sales catalogue may whisper after two glasses of wine. Still, his stamina-packed pedigree and powerful build give Williams something to work with. He is the least proven horse here and possibly the most intriguing.
Why Venetia Williams’ 2026/27 Team Is Worth Following
Martator’s Grand Annual victory changed the mood after a difficult season, Djelo showed top-class form before his injury and several less exposed horses began moving in the right direction. Royale Pagaille’s retirement marks the end of a wonderful Haydock story, while L’Homme Presse is approaching the final chapter of his career. The stable now needs horses such as Zertakt, Holetown, Catch On Me and Rine Yeats to form its next wave.
My ten will not all win. Horses-to-follow lists have an unfortunate habit of developing personalities. One will probably disappear until February and another will be declared on the only afternoon you forget to check the racecards. That is National Hunt racing.
Now it is your turn. Which Venetia Williams horse are you most excited to follow in 2026/27? Perhaps you prefer Bucksy Des Epeires, Camulus, Lady Pretender or Falco Des Pins. Leave your selection in the comments — and feel free to return in the spring if your choice wins at the Cheltenham Festival and mine is running in a Class 5 at Plumpton.
Following the horses is one thing; knowing when the numbers suggest they are worth backing is another. I have also broken down Williams’ record by racecourse, race type and betting angle.
Frequently Asked Questions About Venetia Williams’ 2026/27 Horses
Djelo is the obvious answer. He won the Charlie Hall Chase and Peterborough Chase last season before finishing fifth in the King George. His campaign ended through injury, but he remains the highest-profile horse in the yard and the one most capable of winning another major Graded chase.
That is the plan. Venetia Williams said Djelo should return in the autumn, all being well, with a third consecutive Peterborough Chase among his possible targets. His recovery still needs to go smoothly, so it makes sense to wait for an encouraging update or a confirmed entry.
No retirement had been announced when this list was prepared. L’Homme Presse missed the 2026 Grand National after being found lame in a foreleg, although the initial examinations revealed no serious damage. His inclusion is therefore conditional on him returning sound for another campaign.
Royale Pagaille was retired in March 2026 at the age of twelve. The dual Betfair Chase winner left racing fit and healthy after a wonderful career, so sadly there will be no more muddy afternoons at Haydock for one of the yard’s most popular horses.
Holetown is the more proven option after winning on her first British chase start at Ludlow, but Rine Yeats may have the greater untapped potential. The winning Irish point-to-pointer has a stamina-heavy pedigree and should have plenty of room to improve on his third-place bumper debut at Fontwell.
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