Horse profile
Unexpected Party (FR)
by Martaline (GB) out of Reform Act (USA) (Lemon Drop Kid)
33 runs · 17 courses · from Sep 2020
As at 25 Oct 2026 · KTB archive: GB, Ireland & France · 2005–present, updated daily
6 wins · 6 courses
Beaten favourite LTO
Last run 1 May 2026 · 3rd of 4
Last raced off OR 145
KTB Profile
Unexpected Party won six of 33 starts on turf, with three of those wins over 2m5f – 3m on good or good to soft and three over 2m1f – 2m4f or 1m5f – 2m on soft. His biggest success came in the Listed Happy Birthday Sue Novices' Chase at Chepstow in Oct 2023 off an official rating of 142. He also landed the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase at Cheltenham in Mar 2024. Aged 11 at his last run in May 2026 at Warwick, he finished third of four as the beaten favourite in a Class 5 hunters' chase, having led.
Based on 33 archived runs · run-style from 13 commented runs since Oct 2024 · updated 25 Oct 2026
- 6–33Wins / Runs
- 18.2%Strike rate
- 14 (42.4%)Placed
- −4.52£1 level staken=33 at SP
- 1.02Fair A/E n=33 · 0.88 incl. margin
- 149Highest OR
- 65dAvg between runs
A/E compares actual wins with what starting prices implied. "Fair" strips the bookmaker margin from the expectation, so favourites and longshots are judged on the same footing — figures near 1.00 mean the market priced this horse about right.
Official rating145↓ 4lb off peak
145
109–149
KTB Speed and Rating
KTB Speed
Best recent Speed 63
How fast the horse ran, as points against the day-corrected standard time for its course and distance: 100 is the median GB Class 4 handicap winner on that code; one point is 0.1% of the standard time. A, B or C is how much the day's card could tell us, not how good the run was. What this means →
Jumps
| Going | Runs | Best | Median | Since 25 Oct 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | 12 | 119C | 92 | 2 runs · 77 / 70 |
| Good to Soft | 8 | 123A | 67.5 | 2 runs · 45 / 43.5 |
| Soft | 8 | 136A | 104 | 1 run · — |
| Heavy | 1 | — | — | — |
| Distance | Runs | Best | Median | Since 25 Oct 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2m1f – 2m4f | 12 | 136A | 85.5 | 1 run · — |
| 1m5f – 2m | 11 | 121A | 98 | 1 run · — |
| 2m5f – 3m | 6 | 134B | 85 | 3 runs · 63 / 45 |
Of 33 runs looked at, 4 have no figure: did not complete (3) · obstacles omitted — the race ran a shortened course (1).
KTB Speed v1 · batch 15 Sep 2026 · GB & Irish racing only · 29 figures from 33 runs · as at 3 Oct 2026 · a record, not a forecast
Both figures are KTB's own, computed from the archive; no vendor rating enters either. Every run's figure is on its form line below with its grade. Grades measure how much the archive could see, never the merit of the run.
Run style from 13 analysed runs since Oct 2024
- Mid-division 4 (31%) · 1 win
- Prominent 4 (31%) · 0 wins
- Led 3 (23%) · 1 win
- Held up 2 (15%) · 0 wins
Pedigree intelligence
Sire
Martaline (GB)
Progeny in our archive have won 14.2% of 7,345 runs since Jan 2008 (723 horses).
Weakest on standard (aw) going: 9.4% from 128. Weakest over 1m – 1m1f (all codes): 10% from 120.
| Going | Runs | Wins | SR | vs sire | This horse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firm | 1 | 0 | 0% | −14.2 | — |
| Good to Firm | 70 | 14 | 20% | +5.8 | — |
| Good | 1,272 | 186 | 14.6% | +0.4 | 1 from 12 |
| Good to Soft | 1,025 | 149 | 14.5% | +0.3 | 2 from 8 |
| Soft | 3,136 | 408 | 13% | −1.2 | 3 from 12 |
| Heavy | 1,709 | 272 | 15.9% | +1.7 | 0 from 1 |
| Standard (AW) | 128 | 12 | 9.4% | −4.8 | — |
| Distance (all codes) | Runs | Wins | SR | vs sire | This horse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 6f | 3 | 0 | 0% | −14.2 | — |
| 6f – 7f | 39 | 6 | 15.4% | +1.2 | — |
| 1m – 1m1f | 120 | 12 | 10% | −4.2 | — |
| 1m2f – 1m4f | 269 | 29 | 10.8% | −3.4 | — |
| 1m5f – 2m | 1,521 | 236 | 15.5% | +1.3 | 1 from 13 |
| 2m1f – 2m4f | 3,523 | 516 | 14.6% | +0.4 | 2 from 13 |
| 2m5f – 3m | 1,495 | 204 | 13.6% | −0.6 | 3 from 7 |
| Over 3m | 375 | 40 | 10.7% | −3.5 | — |
Flat and jumps together (all codes) · since Jan 2008 · as at 25 Oct 2026 · rows under 30 runs muted · win % is the measure, a record not a forecast
Dam
Reform Act (USA) (Lemon Drop Kid)
5 siblings in the archive, 4 winners — best of them Dolphin Village (IRE) (11 wins).
The wins came over 1m2f–2m1f; the highest grade won is Class 2 (Dolphin Village (IRE)).
Family form: Playful Fox (FR) won at Newton Abbot, 17 Oct 2026.
| Produce | Runs | Wins | Win trips | Best grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphin Village (IRE) | 93 | 11 | 1m2½f–1m5½f | Class 2 |
| Playful Fox (FR) | 12 | 3 | 2m½f–2m1f | Class 4 |
| Court Room (IRE) | 3 | 1 | 1m2f | Class 4 |
| Meisho Felicity (FR) | 29 | 1 | 1m7f | — |
| Crazy Too (IRE) | 8 | 0 | — | — |
Record by conditions
| Going | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | 12 | 1 | 8% | −9.90 |
| Soft | 12 | 3 | 25% | +8.00 |
| Good to Soft | 8 | 2 | 25% | −1.62 |
| Heavy | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Class | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | 14 | 2 | 14% | +2.00 |
| Class 2 | 9 | 1 | 11% | −5.00 |
| Class 3 | 5 | 1 | 20% | −1.00 |
| Class 4 | 3 | 1 | 33% | −0.62 |
| Class 5 | 2 | 1 | 50% | +0.10 |
| Course | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheltenham | 10 | 1 | 10% | +3.00 |
| Aintree | 3 | 0 | 0% | −3.00 |
| Sandown | 3 | 0 | 0% | −3.00 |
| Carlisle | 2 | 0 | 0% | −2.00 |
| Ascot | 2 | 1 | 50% | +2.00 |
| Wetherby | 2 | 1 | 50% | +0.38 |
| Warwick | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Haydock | 1 | 1 | 100% | +3.00 |
| Taunton | 1 | 1 | 100% | +1.10 |
| Kelso | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Windsor | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Chepstow | 1 | 1 | 100% | +2.00 |
| Ayr | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Leicester | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Exeter | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Bangor-on-Dee | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Southwell | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Distance | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2m1f – 2m4f | 13 | 2 | 15% | −6.00 |
| 1m5f – 2m | 13 | 1 | 8% | +0.00 |
| 2m5f – 3m | 7 | 3 | 43% | +1.48 |
| Jockey | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Skelton | 21 | 4 | 19% | +1.38 |
| Miss Heidi Palin | 4 | 2 | 50% | +2.10 |
| Harry Atkins | 2 | 0 | 0% | −2.00 |
| Fergus Gillard | 2 | 0 | 0% | −2.00 |
| Bridget Andrews | 2 | 0 | 0% | −2.00 |
| Ciaran Gethings | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Kielan Woods | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Headgear | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tongue tie | 23 | 4 | 17% | −0.90 |
| None | 10 | 2 | 20% | −3.62 |
| Season | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | 2 | 50% | +2.10 |
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | 0% | −6.00 |
| 2024 | 6 | 1 | 17% | +7.00 |
| 2023 | 7 | 1 | 14% | −4.00 |
| 2022 | 5 | 1 | 20% | −1.00 |
| 2021 | 4 | 1 | 25% | −1.62 |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0% | −1.00 |
| Type | Runs | Wins | SR | £1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase | 26 | 4 | 15% | −3.90 |
| Hurdle | 7 | 2 | 29% | −0.62 |
Splits include every sample, however small — muted rows are under 3 runs. A one-from-one record is a fact, not a trend: read the Runs column before the strike rate.
Form
| Date | Course | Race | Pos | Btn | Wgt | OR | Spd | KTB | Jockey | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 · 4 runs | ||||||||||
| 01 May 26+22d | Warwick | Carr & Day & Martin Open Hunters' Chase Set the pace early - driven along and challenged after 3 out then overtaken before the last - weakened out of third on the run-in | 3/4 | 2 | 12-4 | 145 | 77C | 136B | Miss Heidi Palin | 4/9F |
| 09 Apr 26+54d | Aintree | Randox Foxhunters' Open Hunters' Chase Settled mid-pack early - tight for room at the tenth obstacle - jostled after the next fence - still close to the front two out - up into fourth at the last - unable to quicken thereafter and finished fourth having bled from the nose | 4/24 | 2¾ | 12-0 | 147 | 45B | 133A | Miss Heidi Palin | 5/1 |
| 14 Feb 26+37d | Haydock | Walrus Open Hunters' Chase Set the pace from the off - had company at the 7th - broke away after the 13th - margin shortened 3 out - travelling strongest 2 out - shaken up close home to score comfortably | 1/6 | 12-1 | 147 | 42A | 146B | Miss Heidi Palin | 3/1 | |
| 08 Jan 26+32d | Taunton | Geoffrey Bosley 'Tally Ho' Open Hunters' Chase Settled midpack early - slipped towards the rear approaching 5th - made progress into 7th - hit the front 4 out - stretched advantage from 3 out - opened a three length margin approaching 2 out - strolled home without a fight - finished going away in good style | 1/9 | 12-3 | 148 | 63A | 138C | Miss Heidi Palin | 11/10F | |
| 2025 · 6 runs | ||||||||||
| 07 Dec 25+27d | Kelso | Richard Landale Handicap Chase (GBB Race) Sat close to the pace early - pushed along before 4 out - jumped awkwardly 3 out and quickly lost touch with the field - pulled up before the last | PU/9 | — | 11-0 | 149 | — | — | Harry Atkins | 12/1 |
| 10 Nov 25+17d | Carlisle | Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Graduation Chase (GBB Race) Sat behind the front two - hampered though promoted to second at the 4th - asked for effort after the second-last - responded gamely to the line but no answer to the winner | 2/5 | 5 | 11-11 | 149 | 99C | 140B | Harry Skelton | 9/4 |
| 24 Oct 25+181d | Cheltenham | squareintheair.com Handicap Chase (GBB Race) Held up rear of field - failed to make an impression - well held in 5th | 5/9 | 2½ | 10-10 | 149 | 72A | 124A | Harry Atkins | 16/1 |
| 26 Apr 25+45d | Sandown | bet365 Celebration Chase (Grade 1) (GBB Race) Drifted right at fences early - sat close to pace wide of rival - dropped back at the 7th - unable to make headway from 3 out and beaten from there | 5/7 | 5 | 11-10 | 149 | 97A | 132A | Harry Skelton | 50/1 |
| 12 Mar 25+52d | Cheltenham | Debenhams Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) Wide on outer tracking pace - moved into second at the 5th - hit front three out - just caught approaching last then held to finish second | 2/20 | 1½ | 11-2 | 144 | 81B | 154A | Harry Skelton | 11/2F |
| 19 Jan 25+65d | Windsor | Fitzdares Great Park Handicap Chase (GBB Race) Settled with the pack early - shared the lead 3 out under urging - stayed on into second before the last but no answer for the winner | 2/8 | 10 | 11-4 | 145 | — | 141A | Fergus Gillard | 22/1 |
| 2024 · 6 runs | ||||||||||
| 15 Nov 24+4d | Cheltenham | Shloer Chase (Registered As The Cheltenham Chase) (Grade 2) (GBB Race) Held up in the pack - clipped the 2nd fence then lost touch 4 out - dropped away before 2 out to finish fourth | 4/4 | 11 | 11-8 | 146 | 62C | 126B | Harry Skelton | 16/1 |
| 11 Nov 24+15d | Carlisle | Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Graduation Chase (GBB Race) Went straight to front - clear by five lengths approaching four out - margin cut under pressure between final two obstacles - held advantage at the last but caught close home and unable to fight back | 2/4 | 1 | 11-11 | 146 | 119C | 138C | Harry Skelton | 15/2 |
| 27 Oct 24+199d | Aintree | Virgin Bet Old Roan Limited Handicap Chase (Grade 2) (GBB Race) Settled towards the back - hit a rail 8th and moved up after 13th - unable to threaten leaders 2 out - pushed along soon after - lost touch before the last and finished 5th | 5/5 | 6½ | 10-6 | 146 | 84C | 121B | Harry Skelton | 4/1 |
| 11 Apr 24+29d | Aintree | Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) | PU/15 | — | 11-4 | 146 | — | — | Harry Skelton | 6/1 |
| 13 Mar 24+46d | Cheltenham | Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) | 1/16 | 10-10 | 138 | 59B | 154A | Harry Skelton | 12/1 | |
| 27 Jan 24+36d | Cheltenham | Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase (GBB Race) | 9/12 | 13 | 11-8 | 141 | 63C | 119C | Fergus Gillard | 25/1 |
| 2023 · 7 runs | ||||||||||
| 22 Dec 23+13d | Ascot | Howden Noel Novices' Chase (Grade 2) (GBB Race) | 4/4 | 31 | 11-9 | 144 | 20C | 122C | Harry Skelton | 13/2 |
| 09 Dec 23+21d | Sandown | Betfair Henry Viii Novices' Chase (Grade 1) (GBB Race) | 5/6 | 6 | 11-7 | 146 | 121A | 118B | Ciaran Gethings | 7/1 |
| 18 Nov 23+35d | Cheltenham | Paddy Power Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) | 5/14 | 1½ | 10-12 | 146 | 109B | 131A | Harry Skelton | 5/1 |
| 14 Oct 23+175d | Chepstow | Happy Birthday Sue Novices' Chase (Listed) (For The Robert Mottram Memorial Trophy) (GBB Race) | 1/4 | 11-5 | 142 | 123C | 145B | Harry Skelton | 2/1 | |
| 22 Apr 23+37d | Ayr | Jordan Electrics Ltd Future Champion Novices' Chase (Grade 2) (GBB Race) | 3/6 | 3¾ | 11-2 | 142 | 87A | 136B | Bridget Andrews | 14/1 |
| 16 Mar 23+47d | Cheltenham | Turners Novices' Chase (Grade 1) (Registered As The Golden Miller) (GBB Race) | 5/7 | 4 | 11-7 | 138 | 81A | 138A | Harry Skelton | 100/1 |
| 28 Jan 23+31d | Cheltenham | Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase (GBB Race) | 3/11 | 10 | 11-12 | 140 | 87A | 138A | Harry Skelton | 11/1 |
| 2022 · 5 runs | ||||||||||
| 28 Dec 22+25d | Leicester | Pertemps Network Novices' Chase (GBB Race) | 2/6 | 12 | 11-4 | 141 | 118A | 128B | Harry Skelton | 8/13F |
| 03 Dec 22+19d | Sandown | Close Brothers Henry VIII Novices' Chase (Grade 1) (GBB Race) | 3/4 | 16 | 11-7 | 141 | 108C | 121B | Kielan Woods | 22/1 |
| 14 Nov 22+243d | Exeter | RGB Building Supplies Adier Rayner Novices' Chase (GBB Race) | 2/4 | 9 | 11-2 | 141 | 73C | 124C | Harry Skelton | 9/2 |
| 16 Mar 22+53d | Cheltenham | Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3) (GBB Race) | PU/23 | — | 11-0 | 142 | — | — | Harry Skelton | 8/1 |
| 22 Jan 22+27d | Ascot | SBK Holloway's Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) | 1/11 | 10-13 | 130 | 136A | 138A | Harry Skelton | 3/1F | |
| 2021 · 4 runs | ||||||||||
| 26 Dec 21+43d | Wetherby | William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Handicap Hurdle | 2/10 | 1 | 11-11 | 124 | 134B | 145A | Harry Skelton | 8/13F |
| 13 Nov 21+15d | Cheltenham | Paddy Power Feel Like A Favourite Intermediate Handicap Hurdle | 2/11 | 2½ | 10-10 | 120 | 107A | 129A | Bridget Andrews | 3/1F |
| 29 Oct 21+30d | Wetherby | bet365 Novices' Handicap Hurdle (Div 1) (GBB Race) | 1/9 | 11-11 | 109 | 123A | 136A | Harry Skelton | 11/8F | |
| 29 Sep 21+391d | Bangor-on-Dee | Donald McCain Racing Club Maiden Hurdle (GBB Race) | 4/11 | 2½ | 11-0 | — | 119B | 124A | Harry Skelton | 5/1 |
| 2020 · 1 run | ||||||||||
| 03 Sep 20 | Southwell | Southwell Racecourse Supports The Mansfield Chad Maiden Hurdle (GBB Race) (Div 1) | 2/9 | 7½ | 10-12 | — | 98A | 127A | Harry Skelton | 2/1 |
Quick answers
- How many races has Unexpected Party won?
- Unexpected Party (FR) won 6 of 33 archived starts between 2020 and 2026, a strike rate of 18.2%. Placed 14 times in total (42.4% of starts).
- Who trains Unexpected Party?
- Unexpected Party (FR) is trained by Dan Skelton, who saddled the horse on its most recent run on 1 May 2026.
- Who is Unexpected Party's sire?
- Unexpected Party (FR) is by Martaline (GB) out of Reform Act (USA), whose sire is Lemon Drop Kid.
- What going does Unexpected Party prefer?
- Unexpected Party (FR) has the best record on soft going: 3 wins from 12 starts (25%). Only going bands with at least three archived starts are read, so this is a direction rather than a settled preference.
- What is Unexpected Party's official rating?
- The most recent official rating on record is 145, from the run on 1 May 2026. The highest on record is 149.
- What is Unexpected Party's sire's record?
- Martaline (GB)'s progeny in our archive have won 14.2% of 7,345 runs since Jan 2008 (723 horses), Flat and jumps together. Weakest on standard (aw) going: 9.4% from 128. Weakest over 1m – 1m1f (all codes): 10% from 120.
- Who are Unexpected Party's siblings?
- Out of Reform Act (USA), Unexpected Party (FR) has 5 other produce in our archive, 4 of them winners. Most wins: Dolphin Village (IRE) (11). Highest grade won: Class 2 (Dolphin Village (IRE)). The wins came over 1m2f–2m1f. As at Oct 2026.