Cobra Queen

The seven-year-old got off the mark at Cork in July 2024, and Rachael Blackmore — who has partnered her in 8 of her 18 races — was full of praise afterwards, noting she jumped well and travelled smoothly through the race after an unlucky fall on her previous run. It was clearly a partnership that clicked. Blackmore has won 2 of those 8 rides together, a 25% win rate that outstrips Cobra Queen's overall career average and hints at a real understanding between horse and rider.

De Bromhead's operation is one of Ireland's most respected yards — 110 winners this season alone — and Cobra Queen fits the profile of a horse that keeps the conveyor belt moving. Her most recent win came at Roscommon in September 2025, and she followed it with two unplaced runs, the most recent at Wincanton where De Bromhead was candid: she looked flat, got outpaced, and it simply didn't happen for her. His response was equally straightforward — she would go on a break and come back in the spring. That kind of honest, unhurried management is a hallmark of how good yards handle horses they believe in.

She raced just yesterday, which means whatever comes next is being decided now. The recent form — two wins, then three blanks — suggests she needs things to fall right, but when they do, she delivers. A horse with her consistency of placing and a trainer with De Bromhead's patience is rarely far away from another day in the winner's enclosure.