Clifftop

The most recent win came at Tramore in August 2024, now some 20 months ago, which is a long gap for any horse. Yet Clifftop raced just yesterday, which means it is still very much in active training and being aimed at races by H Rogers, the trainer based in Ardee, Co. Louth. That yard has been in decent form this season, sending out 8 winners, so there is clearly a plan at work here rather than a horse just filling out a card. The first career win came at Bellewstown back in September 2022, meaning both victories have come at Irish tracks with a certain character to them — seaside, festival-style venues where the atmosphere is lively and the racing is unpredictable.

Look at Clifftop's last six races and you start to see something more encouraging than the overall record suggests. Reading from most recent backwards, it goes 8-3-9-4-blank-1. That blank in fifth place is a non-finish of some kind, which breaks the run up, but what stands out is the 1 at the end — a winner — and a third place shortly after. That is not a horse falling apart with age. There is life in there.

The distance sweet spot is worth flagging too. At a mile and three to a mile and four furlongs — a middle-distance trip that rewards stamina and a bit of class — Clifftop has won 1 from 4 races, a 25% win rate. That is three times better than its overall record, which is the kind of detail that matters. When the conditions are right and the trip is right, this horse becomes a genuine contender rather than a hopeful outsider.

Kieren Buckley rides it most often — 8 times together, with 1 win from those, a rate of around 1 in 8 — and that familiarity counts for something. Clifftop is not a horse for the highlight reel, but for anyone who enjoys the puzzle of finding a horse at the right moment, it is well worth keeping an eye on.