Jackie Hobbs

The career highlights are hard to ignore. Jackie Hobbs opened its account at Ludlow in December 2024, then stepped up dramatically to win a top-level Class 2 race at Ascot in February 2025 — one of the most prestigious tracks in Britain. That win was followed by another Class 2 success at Newbury in November 2025, and most recently a win at Warwick in January 2026. Two of Britain's most celebrated racecourses feature on this horse's CV, which tells you this is not a horse that only wins in modest company.

Where it gets interesting is the contrast with Class 1 races — the absolute pinnacle of the sport in Britain. Jackie Hobbs has tried three times at that level and not won once. That is not necessarily a failing; plenty of very good horses never win at Class 1, and the step up from Class 2 is a significant one. But it does suggest there may be a ceiling, and the team around the horse seems to have found a sweet spot just below it.

Harry Derham trains Jackie Hobbs from his yard at Upper Lambourn in Berkshire, and this has been an exceptional season for the stable — 59 winners sent out already, which reflects a yard firing on all cylinders. Jockey Paul O'Brien has been aboard for six of the horse's eight races and has won twice together with Jackie Hobbs, a win rate of roughly 1 in 3. That is a solid partnership, and the continuity clearly helps. With the horse still active and last seen racing just over two months ago, there should be more to come from a horse that has already shown it can win at some of the sport's most famous venues.