Dallas Star

The clue to what makes him tick is distance. Over a mile and three furlongs to a mile and four, he has won 2 of just 5 races — that is a 40% win rate, which is a remarkable conversion for any horse at any level. He is simply better when asked to stay. His first win came at Bath in October 2023, and his most recent came at Dundalk in February 2025, fifteen months ago now. The last six races have produced no wins, though he has picked up two second places in that stretch, so he has not been disgracing himself.

Where he has struggled is at the very top level. In four races at Class 1 — the best races in Britain — he has yet to win. That is a tough ask for most horses, and it hints that his ceiling is still being tested. His most frequent partner, jockey David Egan, has ridden him eight times for just the one win together, a rate of roughly 1 in 8.

Trainer Robson De Aguiar, whose yard in Mullingar has already sent out 11 winners this season, clearly has big ideas for him. De Aguiar has spoken openly about targeting the Queen Alexandra Stakes — a prestigious long-distance race — despite Dallas Star never having raced beyond two miles. It is an ambitious plan, but it is grounded in a genuine belief that the horse is a stayer who has not yet been given the chance to prove it fully. Previous trainer Dominic Ffrench Davis made the same observation early in his career, comparing him to a potential Ebor horse — a long-distance handicap that attracts some of the best staying horses in the country. When multiple trainers across different chapters of a horse's career arrive at the same conclusion independently, it tends to be worth listening to.

Raced just yesterday, Dallas Star is very much in active training. Whether the Queen Alexandra delivers the breakthrough his team are expecting remains to be seen, but at five years old, he may only now be arriving at the trip that suits him best.