Carmers

Carmers is a 4-year-old trained by P Twomey out of Cashel in County Tipperary — a yard that has sent out 42 winners already this season, so this is not a small operation sending horses out hoping for the best. The first win came at Ballinrobe in May 2025, and it clearly surprised even the trainer, who expected a top-three finish but got something considerably more emphatic. That performance was enough to aim straight at Royal Ascot, specifically the Queen's Vase — a race Twomey had apparently been circling on the calendar for some time. The plan worked. Billy Lee, the jockey, was able to settle the horse mid-race, let him fill his lungs on the turn, and when it mattered Carmers quickened and won at the highest level.

What makes Carmers interesting beyond the trophy cabinet is the picture the trainer paints of how the horse actually operates. He wears headgear — usually a sign that a horse needs help focusing or can be a little too relaxed for its own good. Twomey describes him as a horse who does just what he has to do and no more, one who probably does not want to be in front for too long. In other words, he is smart enough to conserve energy but needs careful handling to make sure that cleverness does not become laziness. The recent form figures — three wins from his last six, finishing fifth twice in between — suggest that when the conditions are right, the horse delivers. When they are not, he is happy to coast.

With an entry reportedly being considered for the St Leger at Doncaster, Carmers is pointing toward one of the longest and most demanding races in the calendar. Given that staying — covering big distances — is described by his trainer as simply "his game", that feels like a logical next step for a horse who arrived at the top table quickly, quietly, and without much fuss.