Darius Dark

His first win came at Cork in late April, but the pattern that has emerged since tells the real story. He's won twice more since then, last time eight weeks ago at The Curragh in June. That consistency through the spring and early summer suggests he's a horse with genuine staying power — literally and in terms of form. His recent runs show typical racehorse inconsistency (a fourth-place finish most recently, sandwiched between two winning efforts), but that's normal at this level. What matters is that he keeps getting into the winners' circle, and he's doing it at distances where few horses excel.

J P Murtagh's yard at Coolaghknock Glebe has sent out 53 winners this season, so Darius Dark is in a stable that knows how to get horses to the track ready to win. At just three years old and with eight races under his belt, he has time to develop further, and his current form suggests there's more to come from this one.