Groom De Cotte

The two wins that do exist are worth looking at closely. The first came at Fontwell Park in September 2024, and the second at Huntingdon in March 2025 — so both arrived within a six-month window, which is the most productive spell of this horse's career. That Huntingdon win was 15 months ago now, which tells you the current form, while respectable on paper, hasn't yet delivered another trip to the winner's enclosure. Recent runs of 3-4-1-2 before a pulled-up and an eighth suggest a horse capable of finishing in the frame but prone to the odd bad day.

One detail worth highlighting: on slightly soft ground — when the track has a bit of give in it after rain — Groom De Cotte has won 2 from 14 races, a win rate of 14%. That's nearly double the overall career average, and it's a meaningful signal. Conditions matter for this horse, and when the ground is right, it becomes a much more serious contender. Class 5 races, the bread-and-butter level of the sport, are where Groom De Cotte has done its best work — both wins have come at that level, winning 2 from 15 races there (13%).

The horse is trained by Gary Brown at Fox Hill in Wiltshire, a small yard that has sent out just one winner this season. Most often in the saddle is Richie McLernon, who has partnered Groom De Cotte 15 times and ridden both wins together — that kind of familiarity between horse and jockey is often more valuable than the numbers suggest. With a race just yesterday and still active at ten, Groom De Cotte is clearly still enjoying the game. Whether another win is coming probably depends on finding soft ground and the right opportunity.