Connor King has 22 career runners in his database. Not 22 this season — 22 total. Five of them have won. That’s a 22.7% strike rate from a man who operates with just two horses in his yard.
On Sunday, his stable star Oscars Brother made it three wins from five chase starts when romping home by six lengths in the Grade 2 Ten Up Novice Chase at Navan, a race that has historically pointed runners towards the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham.
The eight-year-old was cut to 14/1 for that race off the back of a demolition job on heavy ground, and the manner of victory was arguably more impressive than the margin suggests. He made all the running, jumped big throughout, and was never seriously challenged despite a slight mistake three out.
A Chase Record That Demands Attention
Oscars Brother’s figures over fences read: 2-1-1-1-1. That’s placed in every single chase start, with three wins including back-to-back Grade 2 victories at Punchestown (Florida Pearl Novice Chase, beating rivals by three lengths) and now Navan.
What stands out is his versatility. The Galway beginners’ chase win came on good-to-yielding ground. The Punchestown Grade 2 was on soft-to-heavy. Sunday’s Ten Up was on heavy. King himself confirmed ground holds no concerns: “If it was good ground it wouldn’t really matter, so we’re lucky that way.”
For a Brown Advisory contender, that adaptability matters. Cheltenham’s Old Course in March can throw up anything from good to soft, and horses who need specific conditions often come unstuck.
From Damian Murphy to JP McManus
The horse wasn’t always in King’s care. Earlier in his career, Oscars Brother was trained by Damian Murphy and ran in handicap hurdles — finishing third in a Listed event at Navan off a mark of 140. The switch to King’s operation and the step into novice chasing has transformed him.
Now carrying the famous green and gold hoops of JP McManus, Oscars Brother represents something unusual: a genuine Cheltenham contender from a yard with no conveyor belt of talent behind him. King’s only other horse, Grey Jude, finished second at Naas just the day before the Ten Up — meaning both horses in the yard ran within 24 hours, with a combined record of a win and a second.
The Brown Advisory Question
At 14/1, Oscars Brother sits in the second tier of Brown Advisory betting behind the likes of Doyen Quest and Doyen Dream. But there’s a case he’s underestimated.
His chase record is unblemished in terms of placing. He handles any ground. He travels and jumps, which is half the battle at Cheltenham. And he’s trained by someone with a 22.7% career strike rate who clearly knows this horse inside out — his brother Daniel rides him in every race.
The family operation adds a layer of sentiment, but this isn’t a story propped up by romance. The numbers support the hype. Three Grade-level wins over fences this season from a horse who keeps finding more.
King says he’ll let the dust settle before confirming Cheltenham, but the destination feels inevitable. Whether the old course sees soft or good ground in March, Oscars Brother has already proved he won’t care.
The question is whether the market catches up before the festival does.