Buddy One

That Cheltenham win is the headline. On 18 November 2023, Buddy One went to one of the most famous racecourses in the world and won a Class 2 race — one of the top races in Britain. For a horse trained out of a small yard in the west of Ireland, that is a genuinely remarkable result. It is the kind of day that defines a career, and it suggests that when the conditions are right and the moment calls for it, this horse can deliver at a serious level.

The conditions part matters a great deal with Buddy One. On wet or muddy ground, the record reads 3 wins from 9 races — that is a win rate of 33%, or roughly 1 in every 3 outings. Compare that to its overall record of 5 wins from 33 races (15%, or about 1 in every 6), and the difference is stark. When the ground is soft, this horse is a different animal. Galway also seems to suit — 2 wins from 6 races there, which is the kind of course record that gets people paying attention on race day.

Jack G Gilligan has been in the saddle for most of the journey, partnering Buddy One in 24 of those 33 races and riding all 4 of the wins where the record is available — a partnership that has clearly been worth persevering with. The yard itself has sent out 5 winners this season, suggesting things are ticking along nicely in Athenry.

The honest part of the picture is that Buddy One has not won in its last 6 races, and at the very top level — Class 1, the absolute elite — the record shows 0 wins from 6 attempts. The horse has been found out when the competition steps up to its sharpest. Still, at nine years old, raced just yesterday and still active, Buddy One clearly loves what it does. The last win came at Ballinrobe in July 2025, and with autumn and softer ground approaching, it would be unwise to write this one off just yet.