Hopewell Rock

His first victory came at Newbury in August 2024, and Boughey was quick to note afterwards that the horse actually won it on ground he did not enjoy — which is a quietly significant detail. A horse winning despite conditions not suiting him suggests there is more to come when everything falls right. He followed that up with a win at Bath in October 2024, ridden as he usually is by Billy Loughnane, who has partnered him to both of his victories from six rides together — a win rate of 33%, or 2 from 6. That is a strong combination.

What has stopped the clock since then is a mixture of patience and circumstance. Boughey has said the horse picked up small setbacks through last spring, and on his most recent run he encountered wet, muddy ground that clearly did not suit him at all. The trainer was candid that he had expected better that day. So when you look at recent form — 3-9-2-2-3-1 from his last six races — the nine looks alarming until you know it came in conditions that were working against him from the start.

The exciting part is what happens next. Boughey has a mile-and-a-half race at the Guineas meeting pencilled in, and there is talk of Royal Ascot down the line. Loughnane noted after Bath that Hopewell Rock will stay further than a mile, and Boughey has spoken about a horse who has improved since being gelded and who has an owner — Sheikh Mohammed Obaid — who is in no rush. Boughey's yard has sent out 99 winners this season alone, so this is an operation that knows how to place a horse. Hopewell Rock, now four years old and finally racing without the interruptions that plagued his early career, looks like a horse they are starting to aim properly. The next few months should be interesting.