Eddies Pride

Those two victories do have a story worth telling, though. The first came at Fairyhouse in November 2022, and the second — and most recent — at Clonmel in April 2024, now 26 months ago. Since that Clonmel win, Eddies Pride has gone through six races without adding to the tally, with a fifth place the best he's managed in recent outings. Looking at the last six runs — positions of 10, 5, a couple of incomplete runs, 14, and 10 — the form doesn't suggest a horse about to rediscover his best, but he is still active, having raced just yesterday.

The partnership with jockey G B Noonan is the most interesting angle here. Together they've won 2 from 16 — roughly 1 in 8 — which at 12.5% is actually a decent return for a horse whose overall win rate is just 5%. That's a meaningful difference, suggesting Noonan gets more out of Eddies Pride than most, and it's the kind of combination a trainer notices and keeps coming back to.

Norman Lee trains out of Gort in County Galway, a quiet corner of the Irish racing world rather than one of the big powerhouse yards. With just one winner on the board this season, this is a small operation where every result matters, and a horse like Eddies Pride — experienced, consistent enough to pick up place money, and still running at 12 — is exactly the sort who keeps a modest yard functioning. He won't be landing anything big at this stage, but there's something quietly admirable about a horse still lining up at an age when many of his peers have long since retired.