Doc McCoy

Trained by Jamie Snowden at Lambourn — a yard that has sent out 82 winners this season alone — Doc McCoy fits the profile of a solid, no-frills performer who competes at Class 4 level, the bread-and-butter tier of British racing. He's won 3 of his 13 races at that level, which is a 23% win rate, or just under 1 in 4. His most common partner in the saddle is Gavin Sheehan, and the pair have struck 3 times from 14 races together at almost exactly the same rate. There's clearly a rapport there.

What makes Doc McCoy a little more interesting than his numbers suggest is the background Snowden has sketched out. He came from a showjumping background before finding his feet as a jumps racer, and won a point-to-point before joining the professional game. Snowden has spoken about him as a natural jumper and a genuine staying chaser — a horse who is happiest bowling along in front over a long trip on fast, dry ground. That combination of jumping ability and stamina isn't always easy to find.

His recent form is a mixed picture. A win at Warwick in October 2025 was followed by four runs without victory, but he finished second in his most recent race just yesterday, so he's clearly still in good nick. Snowden's comments from earlier this month are revealing — he noted that Doc McCoy had run 13 times since the previous Christmas and won four of them, which is an extraordinary level of activity for a jump horse and points to a tough, uncomplicated character. A winter break is apparently on the cards before a spring campaign.

He's not going to trouble the top races in Britain, but Doc McCoy is exactly the sort of horse that makes racing work — consistent, willing, and still finding ways to win at eight years old.