Indeevar Bleu

His trainer Olly Murphy has been central to the story. Based at Wilmcote in Warwickshire, Murphy's yard has sent out 146 winners already this season — a factory of form — and Murphy has spoken openly about the patience Indeevar Bleu has required. After an early win at Leicester, Murphy described him as "very raw" but with "a lot of ability", urging caution and a steady approach rather than rushing him up the ladder. That discipline appears to have paid off handsomely. His first career win came at Wetherby in March 2023, but it is what has happened more recently that is really turning heads.

On Boxing Day 2025 at Aintree — one of the most famous racecourses in the world, on one of the most competitive days in the jumps calendar — Indeevar Bleu won a top-level Class 2 race. According to assistant trainer Gerard Tumelty, stepping up in distance was the key: bigger horses can take time to grow into themselves, and that is exactly what happened here. Since then, Murphy has been candid about his excitement. He has identified the Coral Cup — a major race at the Cheltenham Festival — as the target, calling Indeevar Bleu "our best chance of the week" and adding that he has "just started to show me what I've been waiting for these last two years." The horse prefers some cut in the ground, meaning wet or soft conditions suit him, which is worth keeping in mind.

His partnership with jockey Sean Bowen has been a significant factor. In 6 races together, Bowen has ridden him to 3 wins — a 50% win rate that mirrors the horse's overall record and suggests a genuine understanding between the two. With form reading 1-3-1-2-1-8 in reverse, three wins from his last six races, and Cheltenham on the horizon, Indeevar Bleu arrives at the biggest moment of his career in the form of his life.