Centara

The horse has a particular fondness for Taunton, winning 3 of 5 races there — a track that clearly suits the way Centara travels and jumps. That 60% win rate at the course is the kind of statistic that makes you take notice, and it's where the career began, with a first win back in March 2023. Since then, Centara has climbed the ladder steadily, and the highlight came on 21 August 2025 with a win in a Class 2 race at Newton Abbot — one of the better races in Britain — a result that underlines real quality. Owner Kathy Stuart was quick to point out that a previous defeat there had come with a bypassed fence and wet, muddy ground softening the test, suggesting that win was no fluke.

Nicholls himself has been enthusiastic, and with good reason. Centara had strung together four consecutive wins at one stage — something the trainer described as rare — and his message was simple: keep the horse racing while conditions suit. Nicholls noted that Centara thrives on a galloping track where the jumping flows, and that there was more to come. Most recently, the horse ran just a day ago, so the fire is very much still burning.

Regular jockey Harry Cobden has been aboard for 10 of those races, winning 2 of them — a rate of 1 in 5 — though the overall record suggests the horse can perform in capable hands more broadly. At Class 4 level, where Centara most often competes, the record reads 3 wins from 9 races, a win rate of 33%. The Newton Abbot Class 2 victory hints that the ceiling may be higher than the horse's usual company suggests, and with Nicholls keen to keep pressing while form holds, there could be more big days ahead for a horse that has quietly built one of the more consistent CVs in the yard.