Bartlemy Boy

The conditions that unlock Bartlemy Boy are worth knowing about. On wet or muddy ground he has won 2 of his 3 races — that is a two-thirds win rate, which is extraordinary. In racing terms, finding a horse that turns up reliably in a specific set of conditions is like finding a cheat code, and wet ground appears to be his. His first win came at Killarney in May 2025, and he followed it up with a victory at Listowel just last week, confirming this is no fluke. Listowel is a beloved festival track in Kerry with a real local following, so winning there carries its own kind of flavour.

His recent form reads 8-1-–-6-5-2 going back through his last six runs — that middle stretch of disappointing finishes makes the current purple patch all the more striking. Something has clearly clicked. Whether that is the ground conditions coming his way more often, a tweak in how he is being prepared, or simply a horse maturing into himself, the result is a horse who finished second not long ago and then won outright a week later.

Trainer Michael Barry's yard has sent out just one winner this season, and that winner is Bartlemy Boy. That makes this horse the entire story of the stable's season so far — the one bright spot flying the flag. For a smaller operation, having a horse in this kind of form on soft ground as the Irish autumn approaches, when wet tracks become the norm rather than the exception, could mean there is more to come. He raced just one day ago and remains active, so the yard — the team — will be watching the weather forecasts very carefully indeed.