Pinot Gris

The most telling detail is what it took to unlock him. When Pinot Gris won at Down Royal in June 2023 — his first career victory — jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle described him as "a big baby" who took a while to get going, only finding his stride once the ground started rising. Fast forward to November 2024, and De Bromhead's team fitted blinkers before a race at Naas. They worked immediately. The horse who had been wandering up the straight and losing focus suddenly concentrated, won, and handed De Bromhead's yard another winner in a season where the Knockeen stable has sent out 107 winners — one of the more productive operations in Irish racing right now. The problem, as De Bromhead acknowledged, is that Pinot Gris is "lazy and idle" by nature, the kind of horse that needs equipment and conditions to align before he bothers to try.

Those conditions, when they do align, point to a clear picture. On slightly soft — slightly wet — ground, he has won 2 of his 3 races, a 67% win rate that is extraordinary by any measure. Most horses show mild preferences; Pinot Gris shows a strong aversion to racing hard unless the ground suits him. He also appears to find his best form at around a mile and three or four furlongs, a trip that gives him enough time to warm into a race rather than being caught cold early.

The concern now is that his last win came 17 months ago, and his recent run of form — finishing well down the field in five of his last six races — suggests the blinkers boost may have faded. De Bromhead has floated the idea of sending him over fences in time, which would represent a fresh start and, given the horse's apparent need for new challenges to stay interested, might be exactly what he needs. Pinot Gris is the kind of horse who makes trainers work hard for their moments — but when everything clicks, he's shown he can deliver them.