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Racehorse Profile
Carnation Queen improved beyond all recognition once she got to the racecourse in 2025 and she looks set for another successful campaign in 2026. She has already written herself into Ownaracehorse folklore and with her small stature but big heart there should be plenty more to come from the daughter of Cotai Glory
She was perhaps an unlikely star for us in 2025. She is not the biggest horse and had only shown moderate promise at home. Her debut at Redcar saw her well beaten running very green but trainer Ollie Pears insisted: “She’s better than that”. How right he was.
Only 25 days later with a run at Beverley in between she landed the valuable Rous Stakes at York, the third year in a row for Ollie Pears. The remarkable thing was she hadn’t even been our main hope for the race with stablemate Dabbling being withdrawn shortly before the race. Carnation Queen grabbed the opportunity to have her moment in the spotlight. It was the manner of the win that delighted everybody. She may be small, but she showed enormous grit and determination to get in front that day – something that obviously bodes well for her future. All at 25/1.
Trainer Ollie Pears told us
”We target the Rous Stakes every season – it’s like our Derby Day and so we were very happy to land it for the third year in a row and the second time for Ownaracehorse. Seeing so many shareholders there and her winning at such a big price was pretty special.”
Her work at home isn’t spectacular but if she is the type of horse that is saving her best for the racecourse – we will be very happy with that. She ran after the Rous Stakes but may have found 7f on soft ground a bit too much and not for the first time after the race Ollie commented: “She’s better than that.” She is now rated in the 60s and should find plenty of opportunities over 6f and 7f in the early part of 2026. She acts on quick ground so it is possible we may see the best of her through the summer months.
Ollie outlined what 2026 might hold for Carnation Queen
”I think conditions at Catterick were quite extreme that day and I wouldn’t rule out her being able to act with some cut in the ground but not at the extremes like it was that day. She’ll handle Good and Good to Firm and she could start at 6f or 7f but might even get a mile in time. She’s got a winter to grow and develop and we’ll have a better idea of where she’s at once she’s back into work in the spring. She’s not the biggest horse so there is the potential for her to grow and strengthen and I think we should have a lot of fun with her next season.”
The filly shows all the signs of being a typical purchase from Ollie Pears. It’s hard to put a price on what an amazing job the trainer has done for us over many years. Like so many before her, Carnation Queen was a relatively cheap purchase, has already registered a win and looks set to be a robust and happy three-year-old providing numerous runs and days out for her shareholders. An ideal syndicate horse.
Carnation Queen is by Cotai Glory and Ollie mentioned: “Cotai Glory is a reliable stallion and I have had a couple in the yard and won a few races with them. I’ve also been quite happy with their attitude and temperament and Carnation Queen looks to be very similar.” The only other horse we have owned by Cotai Glory was the wonderfully versatile and consistent Hello Cotai. He showed remarkable improvement from two to three, which again bodes well for the progress of Carnation Queen.
Ollie Pears told us
”I think we have a lot to look forward to with the filly. She’s proved that she has got a certain level of ability and that coupled with her attitude should give us plenty of opportunities. She may not ever be a superstar but she could improve and head up the ratings as she develops because she does have that scope to do so. I can see her running regularly through the season and she should be capable of finding a race or two along the way to add to her Rous Stakes win.”
Known as ‘Lizzie’ in the Yard, she is related on her dam side to the very useful The Platinum Queen and we were keen to retain the Queen theme in her name which seemed appropriate given her stable name.
Carnation Queen looks to fit the profile of a perfect syndicate horse. Ollie has provided us with many of these over the years and it all looks set-up for a bumper season with the filly. She looks set for plenty of racing in the North and Midlands and as a course winner at York, it would be no surprise if Ollie finds the right race for her back on the Knavesmire that she could be back at the scene of her biggest day…so far”
Carnation Queen will be available to view at our Spring yard visits (set for March to mid-April) by her shareholders, prior to going racing as a 3YO in 2026.
Form & Race Plans
Having established herself as a genuine looking 60-70 Handicapper this will be the likeliest route for Carnation Queen through 2026. She has the scope to improve as she grows and develops over the winter and eventually she could find herself in higher grade races.
She is likely to start at 6f or 7f and Ollie is likely to want to find some Good ground for her. If we have a particularly wet spring it may slightly delay her re-appearance. A dry spring like 2025 could see the trainer try and pick off some early season races.
As the season goes on we would not be surprised to see her racing over 7f and possibly even up to a mile. This could give her the opportunity to benefit from her weight-for-age allowance as the 3YOs start taking on the older horses in late spring. Ollie Pears rarely misses an opportunity for this kind of handicapper to add to their winning tally and we fully expect Carnation Queen to be in the Winners Enclosure at some point in 2026.
Your online Racehorse Manager will provide full details of all developments in terms of the horse's progress and race planning as the season progresses.
Carnation Queen 2026 Guarantee
We expect to get 3-7 runs and sometimes more from our older horses per share period/season, however, you should expect periods of no racing as a result of recuperation from injury or training setbacks. This share period starts on April 1st 2026 and runs through the turf season and beyond - until November 1st 2026, however, we will be reporting on the horse before the share period starts (from January 2026) should we have anything of importance to share with shareholders.
During the season the horse may be rested or have time away from the track to recover and it is quite normal for a flat horse to have periods of 3-6 weeks rest between races.
We provide guarantees with all our racehorses. If this horse has a season-ending injury and has not already raced twice during the share period, we will replace him with an alternative horse for the remainder of the season. Replacement horses may not be of the same quality, are provided with no further guarantees and no alternative choice can be provided. Prizemoney cannot be paid on any replacements, but all other benefits such as yard visits and race day badges are available.
As a shareholder you must understand that we cannot guarantee your horses performance, a specific volume of runs (beyond our minimum guarantee) or that runs will be evenly spaced throughout the share period. This is the chance you take when owning any racehorse and participating in this ownership experience. If you will be disappointed with only 2-3 runs from your racehorse during the season, then please DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN THIS OR ANY OTHER RACEHORSE, as you run the real risk of being disappointed. We believe in being crystal clear with our shareholders - any participation in racehorse ownership is a risk, and we are unable to make any refunds because of share periods which finish early due to injury or retirement - as training, vets and livery fees for the horse still remain whether they are racing or not and part of your lease payment covers the five months of pre-season training.
This risk is the chance all shareholders take, as we do ourselves when participating in the ownership of a racehorse.