Groom De Cotte

In his last six races, Groom De Cotte has won twice — at Fontainewell Park in September 2024 and at Huntingdon in March 2025 — and picked up a place in two others. Winning 2 of your last 6 races is a very different picture from winning 2 of your last 24, and it suggests a horse that has come into form late in his career. Whether that is down to finding the right races, the right ground, or simply a horse who has taken his time to mature, the results speak for themselves.

That ground point is worth dwelling on. On wet or muddy ground, Groom De Cotte has won 2 from 14 races, a win rate of around 1 in 7. That might not sound dramatic, but it is almost double his overall record, and it means Gary Brown will be keeping a close eye on the weather forecast before committing to a race. A dry spell is not his friend.

He races almost exclusively at Class 5 level — the entry-level tier of British racing, where the competition is more modest and horses like this one can find a race to suit them. His 2 wins from 15 races at that level, around 1 in every 8, confirms he belongs there and can occasionally win there. Jockey Richie McLernon has been on board for 13 of his 24 races, winning once together — a partnership that knows each other well even if the results have been mixed.

The yard has sent out just one winner this season, so Groom De Cotte is carrying the flag. He raced three days ago and is clearly being kept busy, which is usually the sign of a trainer who believes his horse is in decent nick. At ten, there may not be many chapters left — but right now, he is in the form of his life.