Crossing The Bar

When the ground is wet and heavy, Crossing The Bar transforms. He has won 3 of his 8 races on soft or muddy ground — that is a win rate of 38%, or more than 1 in every 3 attempts. For context, most racehorses are happy to win 1 in 5 races across their whole career. On wet ground, this horse is genuinely difficult to beat. His trainer Cian Collins spotted it early, describing him as unusual among horses who started out on the Flat: big, powerful, and built for the winter months when the rain sets in. Collins, based at Navan in County Meath, has had a productive season with 20 winners already, so he knows what a useful horse looks like — and Crossing The Bar fits that description when conditions suit.

The recent form makes encouraging reading. In his last six races he has finished 5th, 4th, 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 2nd — reading back from most recent. That win, at Catterick Bridge on 31 January 2025, was his most recent career victory, and the pair of runner-up finishes around it suggest he was in a rich vein of form. The catch is that race was 16 months ago, and he has not been seen on a racecourse since — a gap of over 400 days. That is a long time away from racing, and it raises obvious questions about whether he returns in the same shape.

Most of his wins, 3 from 17 races, have come at Class 4 level — which is comfortable middle-ground racing, not the very top but not the bottom either. His regular partner in the saddle is Richie McLernon, who has ridden him in 6 races for 1 win together. When Crossing The Bar eventually returns, the smart money is on waiting for a wet winter's day. That is when this horse has always made his case most forcefully.