Karia Des Blaises

Her first career win came at Thurles on 19 February 2026, and the road to it was longer than anyone would have hoped. She had originally shown enough promise in France to catch Mullins's eye, winning her only race there before making the move to Ireland. But the jumping game here proved a tougher education. A fall at Limerick appears to have been the turning point — not in a damaging way, but in a clarifying one. As her jockey Paul Townend put it afterwards, hitting the deck seemed to teach her a respect for the fences she had been lacking. Sometimes horses need a sharp reminder that jumping is not optional.

The recent form tells the story of a horse finding her feet. Two runner-up finishes, then the win, and two more placings either side — she has been consistently competitive even when not winning, finishing in the top three in 7 of her 14 races. That level of consistency without the wins can be quietly frustrating, but it also suggests a horse that belongs at this level. She just needed everything to click at once, and at Thurles it did. Townend called it a nice performance, and given what it took to get there, that feels like an understatement.

At six years old and with that first win banked just two months ago, Karia Des Blaises is at an interesting crossroads. She is experienced enough to know what she is doing, but young enough that there is likely more to come. For a horse trained in one of the most powerful yards in the sport, even modest horses tend to find the right opportunities at the right time. Whether she can build on Thurles and add to that single win will be worth following.