Captain Cool

Trained by Jennie Candlish out of her yard in Basford, Staffordshire, Captain Cool operates in a stable that has been in fine form — 61 winners sent out this season alone, which is a serious number for a training operation outside the sport's headline names. His regular partner in the saddle is Sean Quinlan, who has ridden him in five of his thirteen races and won on him once. That is a 20% win rate together, or roughly 1 in every 5 rides — respectable, though the horse's form figures suggest he has been competitive far more often than the win column reflects.

That competitiveness has been on full display recently. His last six runs read 2-1-1-2-2-2 — in other words, he has not finished outside the top two in any of them. He won at Plumpton just last week, and before that took his first career win at Sedgefield back in October 2025. Candlish has been candid about a tricky winter — a fall at Doncaster where he unseated, and a run at Musselburgh where he clearly did not enjoy racing right-handed. Those minor setbacks look exactly that: minor. The horse came through them and is currently racing as well as he ever has.

What is particularly interesting is where Captain Cool goes from here. Candlish has spoken enthusiastically about his chasing future — moving from hurdles to fences — describing him as a horse who will make a lovely novice chaser. It is the kind of quiet confidence a trainer only expresses when they genuinely believe it. His record over hurdles at the top class levels still has room to grow — he has yet to win at Class 4, going 0 from 4 at that level — but given his recent momentum and a trainer who clearly has a plan, Captain Cool looks like a horse on the rise rather than one who has found his ceiling.