Coup De Coeur

Overall, Coup De Coeur has won 4 races and placed 12 more times from 18 outings, which works out at roughly 1 win in every 4–5 races across its career. For its age and level, that is a respectable return. At 8 years old, this horse is experienced and settled in its routine, knowing exactly what the job requires. The bulk of its racing has come at Class 4, the solid mid-tier of British racing, where it has won 4 of 13 races — nearly 1 in 3 — which tells you it is competing at exactly the right level.

The partnership with jockey Brian Hughes is one of the most striking things about this horse's record. Hughes has ridden Coup De Coeur in 10 of its 18 races and won 4 of them — that is a 40% win rate together, an extraordinary figure in a sport where even the very best jockey-horse combinations rarely exceed 25–30%. When Hughes takes the ride, something clearly clicks. He first got the horse winning at Sedgefield back in November 2023, and the two have been a formidable combination ever since.

Behind the horse is Micky Hammond's yard, based at Middleham in North Yorkshire — a training centre with a long history of producing tough, consistent racehorses. Hammond's team has sent out 24 winners already this season, so this is not a yard just keeping the lights on; they are operating in good form. Coup De Coeur raced just yesterday, which means the team are keeping this horse busy and confident. With recent form reading second, second, first over its last few runs, and a favourite track seemingly always on the horizon, this is a horse in a very good place right now.