Emit

The breakthrough came at Tipperary in October 2024, but it was what happened afterwards that really started to turn heads. A run at Longchamp drew the comment "he ran a smashing race" from the yard's representative, and when things didn't go to plan at Royal Ascot, O'Brien took a step back and thought about where Emit might actually thrive. The answer was stepping up in distance. At Gowran Park in July 2025, over a longer trip, Emit dug in and won — and O'Brien was candid about what it meant: "He was game and tough. He fought really well." The horse had found his thing.

That instinct looks correct when you study the numbers. Over distances between a mile and six furlongs and two miles, Emit has won 1 from 4 races — a 25% win rate, or 1 in every 4 attempts — which is his best conversion at any trip. Jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle reportedly said after Gowran Park that Emit could even go back to a mile and six, suggesting a horse with range rather than a specialist. Most often in the saddle is Declan McDonogh, who has partnered Emit to 1 win from 5 rides together, a record of 1 in 5.

O'Brien's yard has been in exceptional form this season — 171 winners is a remarkable total and marks this out as one of the most productive operations in training. When a trainer of that calibre says, as he did in April 2026, that he expects a horse to "step forward nicely" and is weighing up targets at Navan or Chester, it is worth paying attention. Emit raced just one day ago and is clearly in active campaign. A horse that was fourth on his comeback, has a Gowran Park win over a staying trip, and has drawn praise at Longchamp is building towards something. Whether he gets there is the interesting question.