Monty's Star

That's not idle dreaming. De Bromhead's yard has sent out 107 winners this season alone — one of the most productive operations in Irish racing — and when a trainer of that calibre says a horse "looked all over a Gold Cup horse" during a previous run, you sit up and listen. The caveat, typically honest, was that he's not sure whether Monty's Star can quite reach those heights. The other option on the table? The Grand National — which tells you the horse has a serious engine and is comfortable in the biggest races. His record at the top level, though, is four races and no wins, which is where the question mark sits.

His most recent victory came at Punchestown on New Year's Eve 2023 — now 28 months ago. Rachael Blackmore, who has ridden him in 9 of his 16 races, winning once, spoke glowingly after that day about his jumping: "his greatest asset," she called it, and you can see why that matters. Over fences, a horse that clears its jumps cleanly and fluently can make up ground that pure speed never could. He ran at Cheltenham recently and De Bromhead was upbeat despite a mid-race mistake and having to swerve a fallen horse — obstacles that likely cost him a place. "He ran a blinder," the trainer said, which given the circumstances carries genuine weight.

The form over his last six races reads 10-6-5-14-3-4, which is the profile of a horse doing its job without quite firing. He raced just yesterday, so he's very much in the thick of things. Whether it's the Gold Cup, the Grand National, or something in between, Monty's Star is a horse with big ambitions attached to him — and a team behind him with every reason to swing for the fences.