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Horse profile

What A Friend (GB)

10yo gelding (at last run, Apr 2013) · Last trainer Paul Nicholls · Last owner G Mason Sir A Ferguson P Done
by Alflora (IRE) out of Friendly Lady (GB) (New Member)
22 runs · 11 courses · from May 2007
As at 22 Oct 2026 · KTB archive: GB, Ireland & France · 2005–present, updated daily
No run recorded since 6 Apr 2013 — 4,947 days ago. Our archive can't say whether the horse is still in training.
Last run Apr 2013 7 wins · 7 courses Headgear returns LTO Last raced off OR 157
KTB Profile

What A Friend (GB) is 7 from 22 in our archive, including 2 wins at Grade 1 level. The biggest win we hold: the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown (Dec 2009). Hasn't won since Apr 2010. Last raced off 157, 12lb below the career-high mark.

Based on 22 archived runs · updated 22 Oct 2026
KTB at a glance OR ↓ 12lb off peak
Official rating157↓ 12lb off peak
157 138–169

KTB Speed and Rating

KTB Speed

No KTB Speed figures for this horse. The engine scores GB and Irish racing from Oct 2016; runs elsewhere, or earlier, have no figure.

KTB Speed v1 · batch 15 Sep 2026 · GB & Irish racing only · 0 figures from 0 runs · a record, not a forecast

KTB Rating

Best recent KTB Rating 136B the best of the last 3 rated runs · Newbury, 17 Feb 2012 Official rating 157 at the last run, 6 Apr 2013

What the horse achieved in each race, in pounds on the official-rating scale, from the weight carried, the lengths beaten and the race's own level solved across the archive — never the market, never the official rating as a starting point. The headline is the best of the horse's last three rated runs on that code. A, B or C on a run is how much known form was in that race. What this means →

Jumps 18 figures · best 146A · median 133.5
GoingRunsBestMedianSince 22 Oct 2025
Good to Soft9145B133—
Good5145A139—
Soft3146A140—
Good to Firm1———
DistanceRunsBestMedianSince 22 Oct 2025
2m5f – 3m8146A137.5—
Over 3m6145A136.5—
2m1f – 2m4f4134A130—

Of 22 runs looked at, 4 have no figure: did not complete (or a non-runner row) (4).

KTB Rating v1 · batch 3 Oct 2026 · GB & Irish racing only · 18 figures from 22 runs · as at 4 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 is derived from in-running commentary, which our data provider does not supply for this horse's races.

Pedigree intelligence

Sire
Alflora (IRE)

Progeny in our archive have won 9.8% of 5,312 runs since Jan 2008 (535 horses).

GoingRunsWinsSRvs sireThis horse
Firm10110%+0.2—
Good to Firm403307.4%−2.41 from 1
Good1,6701539.2%−0.62 from 7
Good to Soft1,1821179.9%+0.11 from 11
Soft1,30715011.5%+1.73 from 3
Heavy698679.6%−0.2—
Standard (AW)4237.1%−2.7—
Distance (all codes)RunsWinsSRvs sireThis horse
6f – 7f100%−9.8—
1m – 1m1f400%−9.8—
1m2f – 1m4f3925.1%−4.7—
1m5f – 2m1,4721248.4%−1.4—
2m1f – 2m4f1,69116910%+0.22 from 4
2m5f – 3m1,61517010.5%+0.73 from 9
Over 3m4905611.4%+1.62 from 9

Flat and jumps together (all codes) · since Jan 2008 · as at 22 Oct 2026 · rows under 30 runs muted · win % is the measure, a record not a forecast

Dam
Friendly Lady (GB) (New Member)

4 siblings in the archive, 1 winner — best of them How's My Friend (GB) (4 wins).

The wins came over 2m4f–3m½f; the highest grade won is Class 5 (How's My Friend (GB)).

ProduceRunsWinsWin tripsBest grade
How's My Friend (GB)4442m4f–3m½fClass 5
His Lordship (GB)40——
Good Lord (GB)10——
Lord Fitzroy (GB)20——

Record by conditions

GoingRunsWinsSR£1
Good to Soft 11 1 9% −8.12
Good 7 2 29% −2.17
Soft 3 3 100% +8.75
Good to Firm 1 1 100% +10.00

ClassRunsWinsSR£1
Class 1 15 1 7% −11.50
Class 4 4 3 75% +2.58
Class 2 1 1 100% +1.88
Class 6 1 1 100% +10.00

CourseRunsWinsSR£1
Cheltenham 6 1 17% −3.12
Aintree 4 1 25% −0.50
Newbury 3 0 0% −3.00
Chepstow 2 1 50% +0.00
Kempton 1 0 0% −1.00
Wetherby 1 0 0% −1.00
Haydock 1 0 0% −1.00
Leopardstown 1 1 100% +5.50
Stratford 1 1 100% +0.33
Uttoxeter 1 1 100% +2.25
Newton Abbot 1 1 100% +10.00

DistanceRunsWinsSR£1
Over 3m 9 2 22% −2.62
2m5f – 3m 9 3 33% +2.08
2m1f – 2m4f 4 2 50% +9.00

JockeyRunsWinsSR£1
Sam Thomas 9 4 44% +4.96
R Walsh 5 2 40% +0.50
Daryl Jacob 4 0 0% −4.00
Harry Derham 1 0 0% −1.00
Harry Skelton 1 0 0% −1.00
Liam Heard 1 0 0% −1.00
Tom O'Brien 1 1 100% +10.00

HeadgearRunsWinsSR£1
None 15 7 47% +15.46
Blinkers 7 0 0% −7.00

SeasonRunsWinsSR£1
2013 2 0 0% −2.00
2012 3 0 0% −3.00
2011 4 0 0% −4.00
2010 2 1 50% +1.50
2009 4 2 50% +3.83
2008 4 2 50% +2.13
2007 3 2 67% +10.00

TypeRunsWinsSR£1
Chase 16 5 31% +1.46
Hurdle 5 1 20% −3.00
NH Flat 1 1 100% +10.00

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

DateCourseRace PosBtn Wgt ORKTB Jockey SP
06 Apr 13+42d Aintree John Smith's Grand National Chase (Grade 3 Handicap) Class 1 · 34.5f · Good To Soft · 40 ran PU/40 — 11-9 157— Sam Thomas 33/1
23 Feb 13+317d Kempton Racing Plus Chase (Grade 3 Handicap) Class 1 · 24f · Good · 13 ran 8/13 13 11-7 161123C Harry Derham 25/1
12 Apr 12+27d Aintree Betfred Bowl Chase (Grade 1) Class 1 · 25f · Good To Soft · 11 ran 7/11 4½ 11-7 162123A R Walsh 9/1
16 Mar 12+28d Cheltenham Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase (Grade 1) Class 1 · 26.5f · Good · 14 ran F/14 — 11-10 165— Daryl Jacob 25/1
17 Feb 12+111d Newbury Betfair Denman Chase (Grade 2) Class 1 · 23.5f · Good To Soft · 5 ran 3/5 3¾ 11-0 169136B Daryl Jacob 9/1
29 Oct 11+203d Wetherby John Smith's Hurdle (Registered As The West Yorkshire Hurdle) (Grade 2) Class 1 · 25.5f · Good · 8 ran 3/8 15 11-0 145117C R Walsh 4/1
09 Apr 11+22d Aintree John Smith's Grand National Chase (Grade 3 Handicap) Class 1 · 36f · Good · 40 ran PU/40 — 11-6 156— Daryl Jacob 12/1
18 Mar 11+28d Cheltenham totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase (Grade 1) Class 1 · 26.5f · Good · 13 ran 4/13 nse 11-10 159145A Daryl Jacob 25/1
18 Feb 11+90d Newbury Aon Chase (Grade 2) Class 1 · 23.5f · Good To Soft · 5 ran 2/5 hd 11-10 159145B Harry Skelton 4/5F
20 Nov 10+226d Haydock Betfair Chase (Registered As The Lancashire Chase) (Grade 1) Class 1 · 23f · Good To Soft · 7 ran 5/7 2¾ 11-7 159129A Sam Thomas 3/1
08 Apr 10+100d Aintree totesport Bowl Chase (Grade 1) Class 1 · 25f · Good · 5 ran 1/5 11-7 159141B R Walsh 5/2
29 Dec 09+31d Leopardstown Lexus Chase (Grade 1) 24f · Soft · 11 ran 1/11 11-10 156146A Sam Thomas 11/2
28 Nov 09+223d Newbury Hennessy Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Grade 3) Class 1 · 26f · Good To Soft · 19 ran 2/19 3½ 10-4 152144A Sam Thomas 7/1
19 Apr 09+39d Stratford Toteexacta Novices' Chase Class 4 · 22.5f · Good · 4 ran 1/4 11-12 152139C Sam Thomas 1/3F
11 Mar 09+89d Cheltenham RSA Chase (Grade 1) Class 1 · 24.5f · Good To Soft · 15 ran 6/15 nk 11-4 157117C Sam Thomas 13/2
12 Dec 08+42d Cheltenham Cheltenham Business Club Novices' Chase Class 2 · 25.5f · Good To Soft · 5 ran 1/5 11-6 154132B Sam Thomas 15/8
31 Oct 08+231d Uttoxeter Wiser Than Most Beginners' Chase Class 4 · 24f · Soft · 7 ran 1/7 11-4 154140B Sam Thomas 9/4
14 Mar 08+48d Cheltenham Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1) Class 1 · 24f · Good To Soft · 18 ran PU/18 — 11-7 138— Liam Heard 25/1
26 Jan 08+30d Cheltenham Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle (Grade 2) Class 1 · 20.5f · Good To Soft · 11 ran 3/11 ½ 11-9 145134A R Walsh 7/1
27 Dec 07+29d Chepstow Coral Bet By Phone On 0800 242 232 Maiden Hurdle Class 4 · 19.5f · Soft · 15 ran 1/15 10-12 —127C R Walsh EvensF
28 Nov 07+191d Chepstow Weatherbys Printing 'National Hunt' Novices' Hurdle (Div 2) Class 4 · 19.5f · Good To Soft · 16 ran 2/16 1 10-12 —133C Sam Thomas 4/1
21 May 07 Newton Abbot 28th May, Car Boot Standard Open NH Flat Race Class 6 · 17f · Good To Firm · 13 ran 1/13 10-10 —117C Tom O'Brien 10/1

Quick answers

How many races has What A Friend (GB) won?
What A Friend (GB) won 7 of 22 archived starts between 2007 and 2013, a strike rate of 31.8%. Placed 12 times in total (54.5% of starts).
Who trained What A Friend (GB)?
What A Friend (GB) was trained by Paul Nicholls on the most recent run on record, at Aintree on 6 April 2013.
Who is What A Friend (GB)'s sire?
What A Friend (GB) is by Alflora (IRE) out of Friendly Lady (GB), whose sire is New Member.
What going does What A Friend (GB) prefer?
What A Friend (GB) has the best record on soft going: 3 wins from 3 starts (100%). Only going bands with at least three archived starts are read, so this is a direction rather than a settled preference.
What is What A Friend (GB)'s official rating?
The most recent official rating on record is 157, from the run on 6 April 2013. The highest on record is 169.
What is What A Friend (GB)'s sire's record?
Alflora (IRE)'s progeny in our archive have won 9.8% of 5,312 runs since Jan 2008 (535 horses), Flat and jumps together.
Who are What A Friend (GB)'s siblings?
Out of Friendly Lady (GB), What A Friend (GB) has 4 other produce in our archive, 1 of them a winner. Most wins: How's My Friend (GB) (4). Highest grade won: Class 5 (How's My Friend (GB)). The wins came over 2m4f–3m½f. As at Oct 2026.

Record shown from May 2007. Our archive holds racing in Great Britain, Ireland and France from January 2005. Runs in other countries are not in it, and earlier runs are not available from our data provider. In-running comments are available from 2024 onward.