Earth King

What makes Earth King genuinely interesting is his relationship with certain places and certain conditions. At Exeter, he has won 2 of his 3 races, which is a remarkable record. Most horses spend their whole careers searching for a track that suits them; Earth King found one early and keeps proving the point. Put him on slightly soft, wet ground and the numbers improve again — 2 wins from 7 races (29%) on that kind of surface. He is not a horse who wants it bone-hard underfoot. Give him a bit of give in the ground and he responds.

Harry Cobden has been his most regular partner, and that combination works. Together they have won 2 of their 7 races, a win rate of 29% — considerably better than his overall career average, which suggests Cobden has worked out how to get the best from him. He is trained by Neil Mulholland, whose yard at Limpley Stoke in Wiltshire has been in excellent form, sending out 60 winners this season. A busy, productive yard is exactly the kind of place a horse like this thrives — well maintained, well placed in the right races.

Most of Earth King's racing has come at Class 4, which is a solid mid-level, and his 2 wins from 15 races at that grade (13%, or roughly 1 in 7) reflects how competitive those races are. His most recent win came at Uttoxeter in July 2025, and his last six runs show a dip in form after that — a win, then a series of mid-field finishes. At ten, the question is always whether the best days are behind a horse, but the fact he raced yesterday and is clearly still in training suggests Mulholland believes there is more to come. A return to Exeter, on a wet day, with Cobden in the saddle — that is when you would want to be watching.