Farren Glory

The most striking thing about Farren Glory is what he has not yet fully achieved. Trainer Gordon Elliott has spoken candidly about the horse being "unlucky not to have won two Grade 1s" — one of the top races in the sport — pointing specifically to a fall at Aintree where he was travelling as well as anything in the race. That sort of comment from one of Ireland's leading trainers is not throwaway praise. Elliott's yard has sent out 210 winners this season alone, so when he singles a horse out for that kind of assessment, it carries weight.

The ground matters enormously with Farren Glory. On very wet, muddy conditions, he has won 2 from 3 races — a 67% win rate, which is extraordinary. Elliott has been careful not to run him when the ground is too dry and fast, pulling him out of at least one planned race because conditions were not right. When the heavens open, this horse becomes a very different proposition. His last win came at Naas in November 2024, on ground that suited him perfectly, and Elliott immediately flagged the Drinmore — a Grade 1 chase — as the logical next target.

His most productive partnership has been with jockey Jack Kennedy, who has ridden him to 3 wins from 7 races together — a 43% win rate that suggests genuine chemistry between horse and rider. Farren Glory has now gone 19 months without winning and has not finished better than third in his last six outings, but his record of near-misses at the highest level makes him more interesting than a straightforward losing streak might suggest. Elliott has spoken about the possibility of taking him to England for a Grade 1 there, though the trainer has been equally clear that quick ground at a track like Leopardstown might not suit. Wait for a wet day and a soft track, and Farren Glory could yet have his moment.