Ballintubber Boy

The most striking thing about this nine-year-old is what he does at Huntingdon. He has raced there four times and won three of them — a 75% win rate at a single track. That is not a fluke; that is a horse who genuinely loves a specific place. Whether it is the track's long, flat straights or something about the ground there, Huntingdon seems to bring the best out of him. His last win came there in October 2024, so while it is now 21 months since he last visited the winner's enclosure, that course record means he would be foolish to write off at his favourite venue.

He is trained by Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies at their yard in Naunton, Gloucestershire — a serious operation that has already sent out 62 winners this season alone. His most regular partner in the saddle is Sam Twiston-Davies, who has ridden him to 6 of his 7 career wins from 15 rides together. That is a win rate of 40%, or roughly 2 wins in every 5 races they share — an unusually productive partnership that suggests the jockey knows exactly how to get the best from this horse.

Ballintubber Boy tends to compete at Class 4 level, which sits in the middle of the racing ladder — not the headline events at the big festivals, but competitive enough that winning takes genuine ability. At that level he has won 6 of 14 races, a 43% win rate, which is outstanding. His recent run of form — finishing third, second, second, sixth, fourth, and third across his last six outings — tells the story of a horse who keeps showing up near the front without quite getting back to the winner's enclosure. He raced just yesterday, so he is clearly in the thick of things. At nine years old and with that Huntingdon record sitting in his back pocket, there is every reason to think another win is closer than it might appear.