The Big Westerner

Her recent form tells the same story. In her last 6 races she has won 3 and finished second twice, with just one race where she didn't place. She opened her account at Punchestown in November 2024, then signed off the Christmas period with a Grade 2 win at Limerick on 27 December — her first victory at that level. A Grade 2 is one step below the very best races in Britain and Ireland, and for De Bromhead's jockey it was a first win at that grade, which gives you a sense of just how meaningful the performance felt in the yard. She reportedly jumped brilliantly that day and won with a style that suggested she hadn't needed to empty herself.

Before that Limerick win came a run at Cheltenham — a course that regularly separates the good horses from the great ones. She ran what her trainer described as a blinder there, finishing third after getting into a little trouble at the second-last fence. De Bromhead's comment afterwards was telling: he said he very much hopes she is a chaser in the making. That is a trainer quietly suggesting he thinks the best is still to come.

She has not raced for roughly three months now, which is worth noting but not worrying about — horses of her type are often trained with a specific target in mind rather than raced frequently. De Bromhead has indicated the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival is the direction they are leaning, a top-level three-mile race that would suit her stamina. He believes she has the class to handle any distance, but that three miles is ideal. Her one acknowledged vulnerability is a preference for wet or muddy ground — though she proved at Cheltenham that normal conditions are no barrier. With De Bromhead's yard sending out 107 winners already this season, The Big Westerner is arriving at the Festival with serious momentum behind her.