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Black Heather

There's a horse in Gavin Cromwell's Navan yard that knows exactly what it likes — and when conditions suit, it delivers. Black Heather is a 7-year-old with 2 wins and 7 places from 14 races, a record that translates to winning roughly 1 in every 7 outings. That number alone doesn't tell the full story, but dig into the conditions behind those wins and a clear picture emerges.Based on TrackLab's AI analysis
Quick Facts
Age
7 years old
Sex
Gelding
Colour
Brown
Father
Lauro
Mother
Grainne Delight
Owner
Alymer Stud

📊 Key Numbers

Career statistics for this horse
14
Career races
2
Wins
14.3%
Win rate
avg ~10%
50%
Place rate (top 3)
avg ~30%
1 days
Since last race

🔍 Full Analysis

TrackLab's AI-generated assessment based on career data and recent form
TrackLab's Detailed Breakdown
Auto-Generated

Both victories have come on slightly wet ground, and that subset of the record is genuinely striking: 2 wins from just 4 races in those conditions, meaning Black Heather has won exactly half the time when the ground is in its favour. That's a remarkable conversion rate for any horse at any level. When the track dries out or the ground gets heavy, the results drop off sharply — which tells you this isn't a horse to back blindly, but one to track carefully and wait for the right moment.

The first win came at Ballinrobe in July 2024, followed by a second at Naas in April 2025 — two very different tracks, which suggests the ground is the key variable rather than a particular course. That Naas win was 16 months ago now, and Black Heather hasn't troubled the scorer in 6 races since, with recent finishes of sixth, third, fifth, a blank, and back-to-back fourths. Consistent placings, but the winning thread has gone quiet.

Cromwell's yard is in fine health — 96 winners this season is a serious haul and marks this out as one of the more productive operations in Irish racing right now. The fact that Black Heather remains in active training and raced just yesterday suggests the team still believe there's another win in this horse. With the right ground underfoot, history says they might be right.

Strengths & Risks

What the data says works for and against this horse
✓ What works in their favour
Excellent record on good_to_yielding ground: 2 wins from 4 starts (50%)
⚠ What to watch out for
Poor record on good ground: 0 wins from 6 starts
Poor record on heavy ground: 0 wins from 3 starts

🎯 Where This Horse Thrives

Performance broken down by ground, distance, class, and track type
🌧 Ground Conditions
Good to yielding (mild give)
Loves
Soft (muddy)
Unknown
Good (firm-ish)
Avoids
Heavy (very wet)
Avoids
📏 Race Distance
1M6F – 2M
Long Distance (2M+)
Ok
🏟 Track Shape
Left-handed, long straights
Loves
Right-handed, tight turns
Right-handed, long straights
Unknown
Right-handed, tight
Unknown
Left-handed, tight turns
Avoids

📅 Recent Runs

The last 10 races, most recent first
20 Jul
4th
Ballinrobe
1m6f – 2m · Good_To_Yielding · 9 runners
30 Jun
4th
Roscommon
1m6f – 2m · Good · 16 runners
5 Jul
DNF
Bellewstown
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 18 runners
7 Jun
5th
Punchestown
Long Distance (2m+) · Good_To_Yielding · 6 runners
28 May
3rd
Wexford
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 10 runners
10 May
6th
Cork
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 8 runners
5 Apr
3rd
Bellewstown
1m6f – 2m · Good · 8 runners
3 Apr
🏆 Won
Naas
Long Distance (2m+) · Good_To_Yielding · 20 runners
23 Feb
3rd
Naas
1m6f – 2m · Heavy · 5 runners
28 Sep
3rd
Listowel
Long Distance (2m+) · Soft · 8 runners

🏇 Jockey Partnerships

Every jockey who has ridden this horse, sorted by rides together
33.3%
Win rate
1/3
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/2
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/2
Won / Rode
100%
Win rate
1/1
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
Patrick M O'Brien
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode

🏟 Track Record

Win rate at each course this horse has visited
CourseRacesResultsLast visitedWin rate
Ballinrobe
Sharp
2 1 win, 1 other 20 Jul 50%
Naas
Galloping
2 1 win, 1 third 3 Apr 50%
Bellewstown
Sharp
2 1 third, 1 other 5 Jul 0%
Listowel
Sharp
1 1 third 28 Sep 0%
Kilbeggan
Tight
1 1 third 2 Jun 0%
Wexford
Sharp
1 1 third 28 May 0%
Roscommon
Sharp
1 1 other 30 Jun 0%
Cork
Galloping
1 1 other 10 May 0%
Clonmel
Sharp
1 1 other 18 Apr 0%
Punchestown
Galloping
1 1 other 7 Jun 0%
Navan
Galloping
1 1 other 23 Mar 0%