Dragon Of Malta

The key to Dragon Of Malta is conditions and location. When the ground turns wet and muddy, something switches on. From 9 races on that kind of surface, the horse has won 3 of them — a win rate of 33%, or roughly 1 in every 3 starts. That transforms the picture entirely. In those circumstances, you are not backing an outsider; you are backing a horse that wins more often than not. Soft, heavy ground suits this horse the way it suits very few others, and any shrewd observer keeps one eye on the weather forecast.

The other piece of the puzzle is Listowel. Of Dragon Of Malta's 4 career wins, 3 have come at that track — a quite remarkable record of 3 wins from 8 races there, meaning the horse wins more than 1 in every 3 times it lines up at Listowel. That is the kind of course affinity that trainers dream of finding. The most recent of those wins came in September 2025, just nine months ago, which tells you this horse is not living off past glories. It is still a contender when the conditions are right.

Trained by P F O'Donnell out of Kilmallock in County Limerick, a yard that has sent out 2 winners this season, Dragon Of Malta is most often partnered by Colin Keane, who has ridden the horse to 1 win from 5 races together. The horse races best over distances of 7 furlongs to a mile, winning 3 from 18 races at those trips — 17%, or roughly 1 in 6 — which narrows the targeting down further.

With recent form showing finishes of 4th, 13th, 8th, 15th, 3rd, and 1st in the last six races and a run just yesterday, Dragon Of Malta is clearly still busy and competitive. At nine years old, with a course and conditions preference this well defined, the horse remains a fascinating prospect whenever Listowel and rain arrive together.