Air Of Entitlement

The Cheltenham win told you a lot about what this horse is. Jockey Rachael Blackmore found herself closer to the front than planned but trusted the horse's travelling — she was jumping well and moving easily. When the pace quickened down the hill she got caught slightly flat-footed, but that is where Air Of Entitlement's stamina kicked in. Henry De Bromhead, her trainer, compared it to a previous stable favourite, Telmesomethinggirl, noting the New Course suits horses who stay well and grind it out. The instruction from veteran jockey Robbie Power was simple: don't panic. She didn't need to.

De Bromhead is one of Irish racing's most respected trainers, operating out of Knockeen in County Waterford, and his yard has sent out 107 winners this season alone — a serious operation by any measure. She was candid that a run at Fairyhouse, where she finished second, was a little below expectations, but framed it as a first run back after a break rather than a cause for concern. That pragmatism is typical of how good trainers talk about good horses — they know the difference between a blip and a problem.

Her recent form reads 4-1-13-2-7-1 from the last six races, which looks uneven on paper but actually tells a coherent story. The 13th-place finish stands out as an outlier; on either side of it she was placing and winning. First career win came at Cork in April 2024, and she has been stepping steadily upward since. Now she has a Festival win on her CV and, having raced just a day ago, is clearly still in active training with more to come this season. For a horse who stays well, jumps cleanly, and performs on the biggest occasions, the interesting question is simply where De Bromhead points her next.