Double Powerful

What makes the story more interesting is where those wins have come from. When Double Powerful steps up in class, he steps up in performance. Four of his six wins have come in Class 5 races — winning 4 from 7 at that level, which is a genuinely impressive 57%, or better than one win every two runs. But his most striking result came at Cheltenham in November 2024, one of the most famous racecourses in the world and not a place where ordinary horses tend to shine. The team had dropped him back to get him jumping cleanly and with confidence over fences, and it worked — the rider that day, Dylan Johnston, described him as a horse who "comes alive so quickly" when asked and said you always feel he has got there almost too soon. That is a rare quality. Most horses need coaxing to their best; this one has to be held back from it.

The honest part of the picture is that Double Powerful has not won in six races since that Cheltenham success, now 17 months ago. His recent form shows a couple of placed efforts — two second-place finishes mixed in with some quieter days — suggesting he remains competitive without quite finding the winning thread again. Mulholland himself has noted that the horse can be highly strung, and that the key is getting him relaxed and jumping with rhythm. When that clicks, the talent is obvious; when it does not, the horse can take a backward step. Conor O'Farrell has partnered him seven times without a win between them, which is a pairing yet to find its best result.

Mulholland's yard has sent out 60 winners this season, so this is a stable in strong form. Whether Double Powerful can rediscover his Cheltenham spark is the question — but a horse with that kind of ability on a good day is always worth watching.