Kendall Roy

The story of Kendall Roy is, in large part, the story of Cork racecourse. Six visits to the track, two wins — including one just this week on 14 June 2026 — and a level of comfort there that suggests the place simply suits the horse down to the ground. Course specialists are a real phenomenon in racing: something about the shape of a track, the way the bends fall, the typical ground conditions, clicks with a particular horse in ways that are hard to fully explain. Whatever it is, Cork has Cork's horse in Kendall Roy.

The recent form figures tell a story of their own: reading back from the most recent race, the sequence goes 1-2-17-4-3-6. Strip out that 17 — a one-off disaster that every racehorse has in them eventually — and what remains is a horse finishing in the top four in five of its last six outings. That is the profile of an animal in good form and well placed by its team around Kate McGivern's yard.

McGivern is the trainer in charge, and while the yard has sent out just one winner so far this season, that winner is this horse — which means Kendall Roy is currently doing the heavy lifting. When Chris Hayes is in the saddle, the record improves even further: 2 wins from 5 rides together, a 40% win rate, or 2 in every 5 races. That kind of chemistry between horse and jockey matters. Career began with a first win at Naas in September 2023, and the horse has been building on that foundation ever since. Still only five, there is every reason to think the best chapters are still to come.