Pacemakers: The Obvious Ones and the Ones Nobody Noticed

Pacemakers are part of racing. They are within the rules, and a big yard using one horse to help another is nothing new. Over Irish Champions Weekend and St Leger day, plenty of people pointed at the obvious ones. But the ones that did the most to shape their races were not the ones everyone was talking about.

The obvious ones

Action in the St Leger

Action ran in the St Leger at 67.00 (66/1) for Aidan O'Brien and finished 11th. He was there to make it a proper test for his stable companions Christmas Day, the 2.75 favourite, and Pierre Bonnard at 4.00. It did not work: they finished 9th and 6th.

Now look at the horse doing that job. Action was 2nd in the Futurity Trophy, a Group 1 at Doncaster, last October, beaten half a length. He was 2nd in the Dante at York in May. That is the level of horse Aidan O'Brien has at his disposal to use as a pacemaker, and it is crazy. There are plenty of trainers who would love a horse of that ability, and they never get the chance to have one because they are not deemed a big enough yard.

Result grid for the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster showing Hawk Mountain beating Action with Benvenuto Cellini third — The Futurity Trophy, Doncaster, October 2025. Action is beaten half a length by Hawk Mountain, another horse now used as a pacemaker.

Result grid for the Dante Stakes at York showing Item winning from Action and Christmas Day — The Dante, York, May. Action is 2nd, ahead of Christmas Day, the horse he was sent to set the pace for in the Leger.

Victory Speech in the Golden Fleece

In the Golden Fleece Stakes at Leopardstown, a Group 1, Victory Speech was used to set the race up for Darkness Falls, and this time it came off. Darkness Falls won at 2.00 under Ryan Moore.

Victory Speech had run twice. He was 2nd on debut at the Curragh in July, won a maiden at Galway on 1 August, and went straight from that maiden into a Group 1 at 41.00 (40/1), where he finished 9th.

Result grid for the Galway maiden showing Victory Speech winning from Zarak Pasha and Thomas Chippendale — Galway, 1 August. Victory Speech wins his maiden from Zarak Pasha, who also turned up in the Golden Fleece at 51.00.

Hawk Mountain and Lambourn in the Irish Champion

Aidan O'Brien ran Hawk Mountain and Lambourn in the Irish Champion Stakes to set it up for Constitution River, who went off 2.38 and finished 3rd.

Lambourn won the Chester Vase, the Derby and the Irish Derby last year, and the Huxley Stakes at Chester in May. He was sent off 41.00 (40/1) as a pacemaker and finished 8th. Hawk Mountain, sent off 21.00 and 7th, won the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster last October, beating Action by half a length. A Derby winner and a Group 1-winning 2-year-old, both doing the donkey work.

Result grid for the 2025 Derby at Epsom showing Lambourn winning from Lazy Griff and Tennessee Stud — The Derby, Epsom, June 2025. Lambourn wins from Lazy Griff and Tennessee Stud.

Result grid for the 2025 Irish Derby at the Curragh showing Lambourn winning from Serious Contender and Lazy Griff — The Irish Derby, the Curragh, June 2025. Lambourn completes the double. This summer he went off 40/1 as a pacemaker.

Those were all obvious, and they all got talked about. These next three did not.

The ones nobody noticed

Henlein for Moonfall, 4:15 Doncaster

Just a handicap, the Pertemps Network Handicap over Doncaster's straight mile, which is exactly why nobody looked. Henlein, trained by Kevin Ryan, went off 51.00 (50/1), went forward under Kevin Stott and then faded into 11th.

What was he doing in the race? Henlein raced for the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum, and Moonfall runs for his executors. Moonfall won the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot, was 4th at Newmarket in July, was beaten three-quarters of a length at Ascot on 4 September, and came here 8 days later to try to win another big handicap.

In our view, Henlein was there to set the pace for Moonfall and make sure the race was run to suit him. It did not quite work, because Moonfall did not get a clear run, and he finished 2nd at 6.50 to Scoville. But not one word was said about the running and riding of Henlein, who was clearly in that race to set a pace rather than to win it. His form figures tell you he was not there on merit.

Result grid for the Pertemps Network Handicap at Doncaster showing Scoville winning from Moonfall and Ebt's Guard, with Henlein 11th — The 4:15 Doncaster. Scoville beats Moonfall, with Ebt's Guard 3rd. Henlein, the 50/1 shot who went forward, is 11th.

Never So Brave for More Thunder, the Park Stakes

This one did come off. More Thunder and Never So Brave are both owned by Saeed Suhail. They are trained by different people, More Thunder by William Haggas and Never So Brave by Andrew Balding, but they share an owner, and they both ran in the Park Stakes, a Group 2 over 7f at Doncaster.

Watch the ride on Never So Brave under Daniel Tudhope. More Thunder is always slowly away; that is how he is ridden. Never So Brave was slowly away too, and in our view that was deliberate, so that he could jump in just in front of More Thunder.

Race still from the start of the Park Stakes at Doncaster showing Never So Brave and More Thunder both slowly away — The start of the Park Stakes. Red: Never So Brave. Green: More Thunder. Both slowly away.

From there, Never So Brave was positioned just in front of More Thunder to give him a tow through the race for as long as possible, and got after the leaders early enough that More Thunder could chase through behind him and let his stamina kick in late on.

Race still from the Park Stakes showing Never So Brave positioned just in front of More Thunder — Red: Never So Brave, just in front. Green: More Thunder, getting the tow.

More Thunder won at 1.80. Never So Brave finished 6th. He went off 6.00 and he is a good horse in his own right, which is exactly why a ride like that slips under the radar.

Snapretend for Thundering On, the Blandford Stakes

The one that came off best of all, and again it will not get much notice. Thundering On ran in the Blandford Stakes, a Group 2 over 1m 2f at the Curragh, for Joseph O'Brien and Ryan Moore. Her problem is the trip. She won the Oaks over 1m 4f, and when she dropped to 1m 2f in the Pretty Polly at the Curragh in June she could only finish 4th. She probably wants a mile and a half, not a mile and a quarter.

So how do you make a 1m 2f race feel like a mile and a half? You make it a really strongly run affair. That is where Snapretend came in, also trained by Joseph O'Brien. Look at her record:

2nd in 2 Listed races this year, at Cork in April and Gowran Park in May, without winning either.
Sent off 29.00 (28/1) for a Group 3 at Cork in August, finishing 4th.
8th in a Listed race at Galway on 8 September, just 5 days before the Blandford.
No win since Bellewstown in October 2025.

She then turned up in a Group 2 at 81.00 (80/1). She had no chance of winning it. So why was she in the race?

Jennifer Jane went on at the front. When Jennifer Jane crossed her, Snapretend came around the outside and went into the lead at an early stage.

Race still from the Blandford Stakes showing Snapretend up with the leaders and Thundering On towards the rear — The Blandford, early. Red: Snapretend, taking it up. Green: Thundering On, towards the back.

Then, turning into the straight, she kicked for home. Not because she thought she was going to win, but to make sure it was a strongly run race and a real test of stamina.

Race still from the Blandford Stakes showing Snapretend clear in front turning in with Thundering On at the back — Red: Snapretend, kicking on for home. Green: Thundering On, still at the back and about to be handed the race she needed.

It set the race up perfectly. Thundering On came down the outside and won comfortably at 2.25 (5/4). Snapretend finished 8th.

Result grid for the Blandford Stakes showing Thundering On winning from Lilt and Red Letter with Snapretend eighth — The Blandford. Thundering On wins from Lilt and Red Letter; Snapretend, the 80/1 shot who made it a test of stamina, is 8th.

So what should change?

We are not saying anyone broke a rule. Team tactics are allowed. But everyone focuses on the obvious pacemakers from the biggest yard, while mid-race moves from horses like Henlein, Never So Brave and Snapretend shape races just as much and get no attention at all, especially in handicaps.

So here is the question. If a horse is there to make the pace or set a race up for another, should it have to be declared as a pacemaker? Should it run with no price, so nobody can back it? And if it goes and wins anyway, should that win count?

And there is a fairness point too. A horse of Action's ability, or a Derby winner like Lambourn, would be the stable star at most yards in the country. At the biggest yards they are setting the pace for someone else.

We would like to know what you think.