Honesty Policy

The headline moment so far came at Aintree on 5 April 2025, where he won a Class 1 race — one of the very best races in Britain. It was only his fourth run over hurdles at the time, which makes the achievement all the more striking. Elliott noted afterwards that he was still inexperienced and yet, when asked the question from the third-last fence, he simply put his head down and ran to the line. That kind of attitude in a young horse is exactly what trainers spend careers looking for.

His recent form — a win, then a second, two thirds, a fifth, and a blank — tells the story of a horse that has been placed at the very top level while still learning his trade. The Aintree win came on fast, dry ground, but Elliott's team have also noted that softer, wetter conditions suit him well, and it was on that sort of surface that he scored his first career win at Navan in February 2025. Stable representative Lisa O'Neill described that victory as coming "snug enough" despite Honesty Policy being briefly trapped in a pocket in the home straight — which suggests there may be more in reserve than he always shows.

Elliott himself is operating at remarkable levels this season, with 209 winners sent out from his yard in Longwood, Co Meath. That volume of success means horses get well-placed and well-prepared, and the trainer's plan for Honesty Policy is unambiguous: he is heading for the Stayers' Hurdle, one of the sport's most prestigious staying tests. A run at the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot before Christmas was described as a fact-finding mission, and the team came away thrilled. Elliott says he stays well and has a touch of class — and on what he has shown so far, that is a completely fair assessment. The interesting question now is just how far that class takes him.