Bob Olinger

The numbers back that up. From 18 races, Bob Olinger has won 7 and placed in 15 — a win rate of 39%, or roughly 2 in every 5 races he has entered. That is a remarkable return for any racehorse, but what makes it more striking is where those wins have come. Three of his seven victories have been at Cheltenham, which is the most prestigious venue in British and Irish jump racing — the kind of place where reputations are made. He has raced there four times and won three of them. That 75% win rate at a single track is the sort of stat that makes trainers and fans alike speak about a horse in almost reverent terms.

His three Cheltenham wins came in March 2022, January 2024, and most recently March 2025, meaning he has shown up at the biggest stage across three different seasons and delivered each time. De Bromhead himself admitted that before his 2024 Cheltenham win — which came at odds of 8-1 — Bob Olinger had become something of a forgotten horse. He had carried enormous expectations earlier in his career, and when things did not quite go to plan, the hype faded. Then he won the Stayers' Hurdle and reminded everyone. "To see him come back and do that is amazing," the trainer said afterwards.

His most regular partner in the saddle has been Rachael Blackmore, one of the most celebrated jockeys in the sport. Together they have won 5 of their 12 races — a win rate of 42%, or nearly 1 in every 2 times they have lined up together, which is a genuinely outstanding partnership by any measure.

And the story is not finished. Bob Olinger raced just this week, winning at Punchestown on 30 April 2026 — his most recent victory — and has won 2 of his last 6 races. For an 11-year-old who was once written off, that is something worth paying attention to. De Bromhead's yard has sent out 107 winners this season, but right now, this old campaigner might be their most compelling story.