Defiantly

That one win came at Killarney in July 2025, and it was enough to give the team at Owning Hill something to build on over the winter. Joseph Patrick O'Brien, who trains Defiantly from his yard in Co Kilkenny, has spoken about how the horse has physically grown up since then — and in horse racing, that kind of development between seasons can make a real difference. O'Brien's operation is one of the busiest in Ireland right now, having sent out 154 winners already this season alone, so when a yard that productive identifies a horse they believe can step up, it is worth paying attention.

The recent form figures — 16-7-4-1-3, reading from most recent back to earliest — tell an interesting story. That single win sits in the middle of the sequence, bookended by some ordinary runs, but the direction of travel in his earlier outings was encouraging. He is being pointed toward longer distances and tougher company, with O'Brien describing him as a potential staying horse — one who will run over greater distances as he gets stronger and more experienced. Racing over longer trips suits horses who keep grinding and refuse to give up, and the team clearly believes Defiantly has that quality in him.

He raced just yesterday, which means he is bang in the middle of a busy campaign, and that itself is a sign of confidence from the yard — they would not keep running him if they did not think he was thriving. At four years old, with only five races behind him and a trainer of O'Brien's calibre plotting the route forward, Defiantly looks like a horse whose profile could look considerably more impressive by the end of the season.