Spinningayarn

Gordon Elliott, who trains Spinningayarn at his yard in Longwood, Co Meath, is not a man short of horses to talk about. His team has sent out 209 winners already this season — a staggering number that puts them among the most powerful operations in Irish racing. So when Elliott singles out a horse with genuine enthusiasm, it tends to mean something. He has called Spinningayarn "a fine stamp of a horse" and "very nice" on multiple occasions, which from a trainer who chooses his words carefully is about as close to a rave review as you will get.

The horse started his winning account at Navan in January 2025 and followed that up with another win at Punchestown in January 2026 — a track that has a reputation for finding out horses who truly deserve their place in big company. Elliott's team were straight onto the phone to Racing TV afterwards, explaining that they had always known Spinningayarn would stay — meaning he gets better as races get longer, which is an increasingly valuable thing to have in your corner.

The most exciting part of this story is where Elliott thinks it is heading. He has spoken openly about the Albert Bartlett — one of the most prestigious staying races at the Cheltenham Festival — as a potential target, and has suggested the horse will make a lovely chaser in the season ahead. Jumping fences rather than hurdles is where many Irish horses of this stamp reach their full potential, and Elliott clearly believes Spinningayarn is built for that bigger stage.

The most recent run — a blank in the form figures — came on ground Elliott described as the worst of the day, which gives that result useful context. Strip that out and you have a horse who wins races, finishes placed, stays further than most, and has one of the sharpest trainers in the sport pointing him towards the top table. That is worth paying attention to.