Take a look back on horseracing’s epic highs and puzzling lows from 2025
H&H’s racing editor revisits her highlights from throughout the year
This year has been one of epic highs in the horseracing world, but 2025 has also brought with it some puzzling lows. From an historic Grand National to a former farrier winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup and everything in between, I’ve picked out just some of the most unforgettable moments on the racetrack from the past 12 months.
Horseracing highlights from 2025
1. All the emotions: father and son embrace after winning the Grand National
“It can’t get better than this,” said Irish training maestro Willie Mullins after he saddled Nick Rockett to win the Grand National, ridden by his son Patrick.
There’s no better feeling than watching your child succeed, whether it’s in the school egg and spoon race or on the global stage, and I’ll never forget the surge of emotions that filled the paddock in the aftermath of the race.
It took a while for father and son to find each other in the melee but when they did, we witnessed one of the greatest embraces in sporting history. I simply adore Willie Mullins and seeing him floored by the enormity of what he and his family achieved, still gives me goose bumps.
My favourite post-script was chatting to groom Katie Walton about her “barely 16hh” Aintree hero, Nick Rockett.
“He’s always been a legend to me, but now he’s proved he’s a legend to the world,” she said. “Everyone knows who Nick Rockett is now.”
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2. Never give up: the reign of Sean Bowen
The 2025 champion jockey Sean Bowen, 27, has already chalked up more than 150 winners this season, 90 more than his nearest rivals. He’s riding better than ever and the comparisons with the greatest jump jockey of all time, Sir AP McCoy, are totally justified.
Sean’s traits in the saddle are plentiful but a novices’ chase at Cheltenham in November exemplified them better than ever. He and the Olly Murphy-trained Wade Out looked to be swimming against the tide throughout the race and us lesser mortals would likely have waved the white flag. But Sean coaxed the quirky gelding home with complete belief, all but carrying Wade Out over the final obstacle and home to victory.
This is why Sean is the punters’ favourite and he’s earned my utter respect too.
3. The all-conquering Willie Mullins in utter disbelief
We’ve grown accustomed to Willie Mullins amassing countless accolades from Grand Nationals to Cheltenham Gold Cups and jumps trainers’ championships. But a Breeders’ Cup winner? Surely even that was beyond the realms of the Closutton trainer.
But Willie upstaged a stellar cast of global rivals to deliver a spectacular success in the Breeders’ Cup Turf with 28/1 shot Ethical Diamond, reinforcing the fact that anything and everything is possible from this humble genius.
4. Golden Ace proves the Champion Hurdle was no fluke
Nothing beats a good David versus Goliath story and, proving that anything can happen in the sport of kings as long as you’re in it to win it, is the brilliant mare Golden Ace. A stunned silence filled the Cheltenham grandstands when she and jockey Lorcan Williams returned the shock winner of the Champion Hurdle after hot favourites Constitution Hill and State Man crashed out.
Then in a near-carbon copy of those unlikely chain of events, Jeremy Scott’s star mare emerged the surprise victor of the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle in December. The pair had been sent off at odds of 22/1.
“Pinch me to make sure this isn’t a dream,” summed up the Somerset trainer.
5. Our favourite jockey Rachael Blackmore steps aside
Like many, I’ve held Rachael Blackmore aloft as an inspiration and a shining example of a fantastic all-round horsewoman during her 16 years at the top. So I was gutted to hear that she was retiring from race riding in May.
The record-breaking Grand National, Gold Cup and multi-Graded winner was the idol I wish I’d had growing up, proving that anything was possible and that gender shouldn’t even enter the conversation.
“Horses have given me the best days of my life and to them I am most grateful,” she said, which is something we can all relate to.
6. Jumps trainers’ title goes to the wire again
For the second year running we were treated to a gripping “Will he, won’t he?” conclusion to the season when Willie Mullins and Dan Skelton took the trainers’ championship right to the wire. I can remember previous titanic battles between the likes of Richard Dunwoody and Adrian Maguire and they always add a gripping narrative to the sport, taking the action to a whole new audience.
Unfortunately though, there has to be a loser and Dan described the prospect of Sandown’s finale as like “walking out to face the executioner”. His deflation was evident after such a herculean effort, but the Warwickshire trainer’s turn will certainly come.
7. Constitution Hill: a puzzling conundrum
This time last year, Constitution Hill reigned as the country’s leading hurdler, unbeaten in 10 races. When he fell for the first time in the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival we were shocked, but then it happened again at Aintree and, when history repeated for a third time in this year’s Fighting Fifth at Newcastle, we all started scratching our heads, not least his “shaken” trainer Nicky Henderson.
Debates raged throughout the racing world as to the reason behind this puzzling blip in our heroic champ. The answer perhaps is that this is a horse, not a machine, but it will be interesting to see what Nicky decides will be the next steps in Constitution Hill’s otherwise stellar career.
8. A £100 bargain buy wins over the Grand National fences
To conclude this year’s horseracing review of 2025, we must celebrate a brilliant racehorse called Twig. We all love a bargain and £100 pointing purchase Twig gave his 20-year-old jockey Beau Morgan the biggest win of his career over the Grand National fences at Aintree when winning the Becher Chase.
Twig is trained by Ben Pauling, assisted by Beau’s brother Luca and owned by their mother Georgia. Their father Arron called his son’s success a “dream come true”. Beau and Twig won seven point-to-points before returning under rules, finishing 10th in this year’s Grand National, and this success at Aintree came off the back of a win in the veterans’ chase at Sandown last month.
“I owe everything to Twig,” said Beau.
What were your favourite moments in the 2025 horseracing season? Write to hhletters@futurenet.com for a chance to be published in Horse & Hound – please include your full address (town and county will be published).
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You may also be interested in:
‘A tough little mare who has become a serious horse in her own right’: Kim Bailey on Fighting Fifth winner Golden Ace
‘Nick Rockett has always been a legend to me, now he’s proven it to the world’: meet Aintree’s Grand National hero
Bargain £100 horse wins over the Grand National fences: ‘He’s an absolute hero’
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Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.