Snellen

The headline moment came on 24 June 2023 at Ascot, where Snellen won a Class 1 race — the highest level the sport offers. To put that in context, these are the races that attract the best horses in the country, the ones shown on television and talked about for years. Snellen won one at three years old. The career started just ten days earlier at Limerick, so the jump from first winner to Royal Ascot champion happened in the blink of an eye.

Ground conditions matter enormously with this horse. On fast, dry ground, Snellen has won 3 of 5 races — a 60% win rate that is frankly extraordinary. That is not a coincidence; that is a pattern worth paying close attention to. At distances between seven furlongs and one mile, the record reads 2 wins from 4 races, suggesting this is where Snellen is most comfortable. Trainer Gavin Cromwell, based at Navan in County Meath, clearly knows how to place a horse well — his yard has sent out 94 winners already this season, which tells you this is a very well-run operation. Jockey Gary Carroll has partnered Snellen in 14 of those 15 races, winning 4 of them — a relationship that clearly works.

The recent form makes interesting reading. The last six results, reading from most recent backwards, are 6-1-2-3-2-7 — so a win, two seconds, and a third tucked in among the tougher days. The last victory came at Leopardstown in July 2025, meaning Snellen has been off the track for around eight months now. That is a significant break, and how a horse returns from that kind of absence tells you a lot about where they are headed. Given what this horse has already achieved, though, it would take a brave person to write Snellen off.