Cowardofthecounty

The name might suggest timidity, but Cowardofthecounty has plenty of talent on his side. Trainer Joseph Patrick O'Brien, who runs one of the busiest yards in Ireland with 160 winners already this season, has always believed in the horse. At two, the colt impressed at home—so much so that O'Brien wondered aloud whether he needed to run again, such was his size and raw ability. That faith was vindicated when Cowardofthecounty won at The Curragh in April 2024 in his first race, a debut victory that suggested the trainer's eye for a prospect was on point. More notably, he went on to win a Group 3 race at Deauville last year over seven furlongs, with jockey Ryan Moore commenting that the step up in distance suited him and that he felt like a horse with a good future.

The problem, in a word, is consistency. His best distance appears to be between five and six-and-a-half furlongs, where he's won 1 of 4 races (25%), yet the Group 3 success came at seven furlongs. He's ridden regularly by Dylan Browne McMonagle, who's piloted him to 1 win from 6 races together. The partnership hasn't quite gelled the way the yard hoped, which may suggest the horse needs a rider who can unlock something different. At four years old, Cowardofthecounty is at a crossroads—talented enough to win quality races, as Deauville proved, but not quite consistent enough to convince that he's a genuine contender.