Doc McCoy

What makes Doc McCoy genuinely interesting is the run he put together earlier this year. According to Snowden, the horse ran 13 times since Christmas and won four of them — a spell that would have turned heads at any level. That kind of frequency and productivity from a single horse is unusual, and it speaks to a durable, sound animal who actually enjoys his racing rather than merely tolerating it. Snowden is clearly fond of him, describing him as "an absolute legend." Coming from a trainer whose yard has sent out 82 winners this season, that is not a throwaway compliment.

Jockey Gavin Sheehan has been the regular partner, riding him in 14 of his 24 races and winning 3 of them — a win rate of 21%, matching Doc McCoy's overall career average almost exactly. That kind of consistency between horse and rider tends to mean the partnership works, and when Sheehan is in the saddle, you know roughly what you are getting. Doc McCoy's first win came at Huntingdon in October 2023, and his most recent at Warwick in October 2025 — seven months ago now, which means he is probably due the winter break Snowden mentioned, before coming back in the spring.

There is an intriguing backstory here too. Snowden has noted that Doc McCoy comes from a showjumping background, which perhaps explains why he takes so naturally to obstacles, and the trainer has also pointed to an early win in a point-to-point as evidence that he has always been "a proper jumper." Long trips on fast, dry ground appears to be the sweet spot. Recent form has gone quiet — three blanks in a row after a win and a second — but given the workload he has carried, that is barely surprising. He raced just one day ago, which tells you everything about his durability. Doc McCoy is not a superstar, but he is exactly the kind of horse that makes racing worth following.