Trained by M A Molloy out of Thurles in County Tipperary, Elusive Duke comes from a small yard that has punched out four winners this season — a tidy haul that suggests Molloy knows how to place his horses well. Finding the right opportunity matters enormously at this level, and getting Elusive Duke to Leopardstown and away was the pay-off for that patient placing.
The distance that suits him best is a mile and one furlong to a mile and two — a middle-distance trip that rewards stamina without asking a horse to stay all day. At that range he has won 1 from 4 races, a 25% win rate, which means he wins roughly 1 in every 4 times he runs over the trips that genuinely suit him. That is a very different picture from his overall record, and it tells you the key to unlocking him has always been conditions rather than class.
His recent form reads 2-7-3-5-4-1 going back through his last six races, with that winning run at Leopardstown the most recent entry. He raced just one day ago, so he is clearly being kept busy, and the question now is whether the team can find another race at the right distance before the moment passes. Horses who take a long time to win their first race sometimes find it hard to repeat — but Elusive Duke's placed form suggests he has been competitive all along. That first win might not be his last.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leopardstown Galloping |
2 | 1 win, 1 other | 4 Jun | 50% |
| Cork Galloping |
2 | 1 second, 1 other | 6 Apr | 0% |
| Naas Galloping |
2 | 1 third, 1 other | 24 Aug | 0% |
| Limerick Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 11 Jun | 0% |
| Galway Tight |
1 | 1 other | 1 Aug | 0% |
| Dundalk Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 11 Oct | 0% |
| Fairyhouse Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 29 May | 0% |
| Gowran Park Undulating |
1 | 1 second | 12 Jun | 0% |
| Roscommon Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 1 Jul | 0% |
| The Curragh Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 5 May | 0% |