Ladbrokes Adonis Juvenile Hurdle
Grade 2, Kempton Park 13:45
£80,000 guaranteed,
4yo only,
2m, Class 1    
Saturday 21st February 2026

BetPlay

1 La Luna Artista 15/2
2 One Horse Town 11/4
3 Fantasy World 15/2
6 ran Distances: 13l, 2¼l, 15l
Time: 3m 52.08s (slow by 8.58s)

There are victories that arrive in a crescendo of noise and rivalry; others unfold in a hush that descends almost imperceptibly. This belonged emphatically to the latter, as La Luna Artista was left to come home alone in circumstances that muted celebration.

Trained by Jane Williams, the filly had already hinted at a measure of promise over timber, winning twice from three starts and finishing just over four lengths behind Maestro Conti when fifth on her latest outing. That bare form suggested she faced a stiff assignment in Grade Two company and the market reflected as much, allowing her to drift to 15-2.

Yet races are not run on ratings alone. Travelling with poise and purpose, La Luna Artista moved smoothly into contention, her rider yet to ask a serious question. She was still going better than the favourite Precious Man when he took a heavy fall at the second-last, an incident that changed the complexion of the race in an instant.

From there, it became a matter of safe passage. La Luna Artista was unextended in drawing 13 lengths clear of Harry Derham’s One Horse Town, her superiority never in doubt once the principal threat had departed the scene.

Williams, typically measured, reflected afterwards: “I thought she was up against it on the ratings today, but then I suppose I knew a bit more about her than anyone else.

“She hasn’t been hard trained this year and I thought she looked better today than she did at Cheltenham, where I thought she was unlucky as she got stuck in the mud turning in, she should have been third.

“I thought we’d be second if I was honest today, she’s a nice big filly, I buy horses and pages that I like the look of.

“She’s not in the Triumph, she’s got the Fred Winter entry but that can be a graveyard for some horses. We won’t supplement for the Triumph.

“She’s going to go chasing at some point, it’s not all about today and her pedigree certainly isn’t, we’re trying to buy chasers of the future.”

It was an insight not merely into the performance but into the philosophy: this was a stepping stone, not a summit. The Triumph Hurdle will pass her by, and even the Fred Winter is no certainty. The longer game, fences and the seasons beyond, is already in view.

Sadly, the race was overshadowed by the fate of Precious Man, who suffered a fatal injury. Despite receiving treatment immediately by the racecourse vets he could not be saved.

In the stillness that followed, the bare facts remained: a filly of substance enhanced her reputation in decisive fashion. But the Adonis will be remembered as much for what was lost as for what was gained.

Adonis Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 2)
£80,000 guaranteed, 4yo only, 2m, Class 1
6 ran
Going: Good to Soft, Soft in places

POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1    La Luna Artista 4 10-7 Jane Williams Ciaran Gething 15/2
2 13 One Horse Town 4 11-5 Harry Derham Paul O'Brien 11/4
3 2¼ Fantasy World 4 11-0 Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville 15/2
4 15 Falls Of Acharn 4 11-0 Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden 22/1
5 4½ Allure 4 11-0 Noel George & Amanda Zetterholm James Reveley 16/1
FELL Precious Man 4 11-5 Dan Skelton Harry Skelton EvsF

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