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Cusack

There is a horse in the north of England that has quietly built one of the more reliable records around — not a headline-grabber, but the kind of competitor that keeps turning up and getting the job done. Cusack, an 8-year-old trained by David Thompson at his yard in Bolam, County Durham, has won 10 races from 54 outings and placed in a further 26. That means in more than half of all the races he has ever run, he has come home with something to show for it. For a horse operating at the level he does, that is a genuinely solid record.Based on TrackLab's AI analysis
Quick Facts
Age
8 years old
Sex
Gelding
Colour
Bay
Father
Heeraat
Mother
Vera Richardson
Owner
Kevin Kirkup
Rating
64

📊 Key Numbers

Career statistics for this horse
54
Career races
10
Wins
18.5%
Win rate
avg ~10%
48.1%
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

Thompson's yard has been in decent form this season, sending out 9 winners, so Cusack is part of a setup that knows how to prepare a horse to win. His most regular partner in the saddle is Sean Kirrane, who has ridden him 17 times and come away with 4 wins — a win rate of roughly 1 in every 4 rides together, which is a strong number and suggests the two have developed a real understanding over time.

The sweet spot for Cusack is a distance of seven furlongs to a mile, where he has won 3 of his 8 races — that is 38%, or more than 1 in every 3 attempts, which is a striking conversion rate. It tells you that when he lines up at that trip, he is always worth watching. Most of his racing has come at Class 5 level — the bread-and-butter tier of the sport — where he has won 5 of 29 races, roughly 1 in every 6 starts at that grade.

His last win came at Newcastle in March 2025, now 14 months ago, and recent form has been patchy — finishing 12th, 12th, 6th, 8th, 4th, and 9th across his last six races. He raced just yesterday, so he is clearly still an active and busy campaigner, but it is fair to say he is in a lean spell right now. That said, horses like Cusack have a habit of popping up with a win when the conditions fall right. He has done it 10 times before, and with the right distance, the right track, and Kirrane in the saddle, there is no reason to think the 11th is not still to come.

Strengths & Risks

What the data says works for and against this horse
✓ What works in their favour
Course specialist at Newcastle: 9 wins from 44 starts (20%)
Well suited by 7f – 1m distances: 38% win rate
⚠ What to watch out for
Poor record on good ground: 0 wins from 3 starts

🎯 Where This Horse Thrives

Performance broken down by ground, distance, class, and track type
🌧 Ground Conditions
Standard (all-weather)
Standard to slow (all-weather)
Ok
Good to firm (drying out)
Unknown
Soft (muddy)
Unknown
Good to soft (some give)
Unknown
Good (firm-ish)
Avoids
📏 Race Distance
7F – 1M
Loves
1M1F – 1M2F
1M3F – 1M4F
Ok
1M6F – 2M
Avoids
🏅 Competition Level
Class 3 (mid-level)
Unknown
Class 4 (standard)
Avoids
Class 5 (entry-level)
Ok
Class 6 (grassroots)
Loves
🏟 Track Shape
Left-handed, long straights
Right-handed, hilly
Unknown

📅 Recent Runs

The last 10 races, most recent first
2 Jun
12th
Newcastle
1m1f – 1m2f · Standard · 12 runners
20 Apr
12th
Newcastle
7f – 1m · Standard · 14 runners
22 Nov
6th
Newcastle
1m1f – 1m2f · Standard · 12 runners
6 Nov
8th
Newcastle
1m3f – 1m4f · Standard · 12 runners
27 Oct
4th
Newcastle
1m3f – 1m4f · Standard_To_Slow · 14 runners
17 Oct
9th
Newcastle
7f – 1m · Standard · 12 runners
26 Sep
2nd
Newcastle
1m1f – 1m2f · Standard · 7 runners
29 Aug
13th
Newcastle
7f – 1m · Standard · 14 runners
10 Apr
7th
Newcastle
1m3f – 1m4f · Standard · 8 runners
29 Mar
🏆 Won
Newcastle
7f – 1m · Standard · 9 runners

🏇 Jockey Partnerships

Every jockey who has ridden this horse, sorted by rides together
23.5%
Win rate
4/17
Won / Rode
28.6%
Win rate
4/14
Won / Rode
25%
Win rate
2/8
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/3
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/3
Won / Rode
Rhys Elliott
0%
Win rate
0/2
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
Phil Dennis
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
Mr Joshua Thompson
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
Newcastle
Galloping
44 9 wins, 6 seconds, 6 thirds, 23 other 2 Jun 20.5%
Southwell
Galloping
3 1 win, 1 second, 1 third 25 Jan 33.3%
Redcar
Galloping
3 3 other 21 Jun 0%
Thirsk
Galloping
2 2 thirds 31 May 0%
Haydock Park
Galloping
1 1 other 27 May 0%
Carlisle
Undulating
1 1 other 8 Jul 0%