Duffys Hodey

The recent form makes for interesting reading. In the last six races, Duffys Hodey has won twice, finished second twice, and only had two poor runs mixed in. That kind of up-and-down pattern — 1-8-7-2-1-2, reading from most recent back — suggests a horse that runs its best races in bursts rather than grinding out results week after week. Crucially, one of those wins came just this week at Limerick, so this horse is very much in form right now.

Limerick is where Duffys Hodey genuinely comes alive. Two wins from just 5 races there makes it a true course specialist — 40% of its Limerick appearances have ended in victory, compared to a career win rate of roughly 1 in every 4 or 5 races overall (23%). There's something about that track that suits this horse, whether it's the layout, the ground, or the way the races tend to be run. When Duffys Hodey turns up at Limerick, it has to be taken seriously.

Behind the scenes, trainer P J Rothwell operates out of Tinahely in County Wicklow and has had a productive season — 35 winners sent out so far, which is the mark of a yard in confident, organised form. Interestingly, regular jockey James O'Sullivan has yet to get a win out of Duffys Hodey across 7 rides together, which is one of those quirky statistics that doesn't necessarily mean much but is hard to ignore entirely. The two wins this season have clearly come with someone else in the saddle.

First career win arriving at Clonmel in December 2024 means this horse took a while to get off the mark, but since then has built into something genuinely competitive. At nine, Duffys Hodey is not getting younger, but horses at this age often know their job inside out — and a win just days ago suggests there's still plenty to look forward to, particularly when Limerick comes around on the calendar again.