Charles Darwin

The highlight so far came at Royal Ascot on 19 June 2025, where he won a Class 1 race — one of the biggest prizes in British racing. That was the Norfolk Stakes, a prestigious sprint for young horses, and it announced him as something genuinely exciting. He won three races in the first half of last year before missing the rest of the season entirely, which explains the gap in his record. When horses disappear mid-season it's usually a concern, but O'Brien spoke about him with confidence heading into this year, with a clear plan in place.

That plan leads straight back to Royal Ascot, this time for the Commonwealth Cup — a top-level sprint for three-year-olds. It's a natural step up, and everything about his profile suggests he belongs there. His most recent win came at Navan just 8 weeks ago, a race O'Brien described as a comeback run after the long break — "it's a long time since Charles Darwin ran and he should come on a ton from it," he said. In other words, that win was just the engine warming up. The one blip in recent form — a run at Naas where something clearly went wrong — appears to have a physical explanation, with Ryan Moore reporting the horse may have clipped a ridge and bruised a shoulder. Worth monitoring, but not a reason for panic.

Moore is the man in the saddle more often than not, and the partnership looks like a strong one: 4 wins from 6 races together, a win rate of 67%, meaning they win roughly 2 in every 3 races as a pair. Behind them both is the O'Brien machine, which has sent out 138 winners already this season — a yard operating at the very top of its game. Charles Darwin looks like one of their flagbearers heading into the summer's biggest occasions.