French Ship

The most telling result came on 29 November 2025, when French Ship landed a Class 2 race at Newbury — one of the top races in Britain by category, run at a track that tends to find out horses quickly. Trainer Philip Hobbs had been pointing him there with confidence, telling people beforehand that he felt there was "still plenty of improvement to come." That kind of trainer optimism can sometimes be wishful thinking, but Newbury proved him right. It followed a win at Cheltenham the previous month, meaning French Ship had taken on two of the most respected tracks in the country back-to-back and delivered both times.

His partnership with jockey Micheal Nolan is worth noting. The pair have raced together eight times and won three of them — a win rate of 38%, or just under 2 in every 5 races. That is well above the horse's overall average, which suggests Nolan brings something out of him, or at least that the team tends to save their best races for when Nolan is in the saddle.

The yard behind him — Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, based in Bilbrook, Somerset — has sent out 37 winners this season alone, which puts them firmly among the busier and more successful operations in the country. Joint-trainer Johnson White has spoken warmly about French Ship's development, noting he is "learning all the time" and that his jumping, while not yet polished, has been improving race by race. That kind of patient, process-driven language from a trainer is usually a good sign — it means they are not rushing the horse, and they believe there is more to come.

At the level he most often competes at, French Ship has won 2 from 4 — a flat 50% win rate. A horse winning half its races at any level is rare enough to be remarkable. He raced just one day ago and remains in active training, so whatever comes next, he arrives at it in the form of his life.