Hooper

The trainer quote from October 2024 adds an important piece of context: Hooper had not raced since May 2023, a gap of well over a year. The Twiston-Davies yard — a busy Gloucestershire operation that has sent out 61 winners this season alone — described him as a great servant who has stayed consistent despite not winning since 2021. That is a long time without a victory, but the fact that the team was talking about him with obvious affection and planning his return suggests they see real value in him still.

Most of his racing has come at Class 3 level — a solid middle tier, not the very top races but not the bottom either — and he has yet to win at that grade from 8 attempts. That sounds blunt, but it also tells you he has been competitive enough to keep being entered at a decent level, which in itself means something. Horses that cannot cut it get dropped down.

His recent form reads 5-–-9-4-3-4, with a pulled-up run in the mix and a couple of efforts that put him right in contention. He raced just yesterday, so he is very much a live, active horse. The jockey's post-race words from a Cheltenham run offer a glimpse of what Hooper can do on a good day — travelling well, jumping beautifully, and winning with something in hand. That quote, it should be noted, describes a winner, which sits at odds with the career record showing zero wins. It may be from a different point in his career, or a race not fully captured in these numbers — but either way, it paints a picture of a horse capable of real quality when everything clicks.

Hooper is the kind of horse that rewards patience. Not flashy, not a banker, but honest.