Ascending

The highlight so far is a Class 2 win at Ascot in June 2025 — one of the top races he has contested, and the sort of track and occasion that tends to separate horses with genuine quality from those who only fire on easier days. It is worth remembering where the journey started: a win at Goodwood back in June 2022, which is how he caught Henry De Bromhead's attention in the first place. De Bromhead, speaking around early 2023, recalled that Ascending had arrived at his Knockeen yard in Co Waterford having already made his mark on the Flat, and quickly showed he could transfer that ability to a new discipline, finishing half a length second on his first try over hurdles at Leopardstown over Christmas. He then held his own in the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival, finishing fourth — serious company for any horse, let alone one still finding his feet.

The one puzzle in the form book is his record alongside Rachael Blackmore. The pair have been out together six times and are still waiting for a win — 0 from 6 is not a catastrophe, but it is a curious blank given how well Ascending has been running with others aboard. Whether that changes on his return from a six-month break remains to be seen.

He tends to be most effective at a mile and a bit to a mile and a quarter, winning 1 of 3 races over those trips — the best clip of any distance in his record. The yard he comes from is firing on all cylinders, with 107 winners already on the board this season, so there is every reason to think Ascending returns with a serious target in mind. A horse who won a top-two race at Ascot just months ago does not take half a year off without one.