Independent Expert

The trainer Denis Gerard Hogan, based in Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, has had a productive season — 56 winners sent out already — and Independent Expert is part of that picture. She has not been with the yard long, but Hogan clearly understands what makes her tick. The key, it turns out, is fairly specific: wet or muddy ground, a stiff mile, and a bit of freshness in her legs. On soft ground she wins 2 from 5 races — a remarkable 40% return compared to her overall career figure of roughly 1 win in every 6.5 races. At distances between seven furlongs and a mile, that improves further: 5 wins from 19 races, or 1 in every 4. Hogan describes her as "very tough, honest and genuine" — and the numbers back that up completely.

Her favourite venue is Naas, where she has won 2 from 5 races. Her most recent win came there in March 2026, on Royal Ascot trials day, where Hogan noted she "hit the line hard" — the language of a horse who was still finding more at the finish. The jockey rode her patiently, sat back in the pack and let the race come to him, and she stayed on strongly. Hogan admits he was not even sure she was fully ready that day, which makes the performance more striking, not less. She is the kind of horse that apparently needs very little preparation — light on the work, heavy on the results when conditions suit.

The regular partnership with Andrew Slattery — 4 wins from 30 races together, or about 1 in every 7 — has been a steady one, though the Naas win came with a different jockey in the saddle. Looking ahead, Hogan has mentioned the Kensington Palace as a possible target, a big race for fillies where the stiff mile at that level could play to her strengths. He is measured about her chances — "the handicapper knows her quite well" — but there is clearly a sense that she is still improving. For a horse who first won back in December 2021, that is a pleasant problem to have.