Falcon Eight

His best performances come when the distance stretches out. Over trips between a mile and six furlongs and two miles, he has won 2 from 6 races — that's 33%, or roughly 1 in every 3 — which is a sharp jump from his overall numbers and tells you exactly where to place him. He also has a notable affinity for The Curragh itself, winning 2 of 8 races there. For a horse who has run 32 times, building that kind of record at a single track suggests a genuine comfort on that ground.

The highlight of the CV is a Chester Cup win — one of the most storied long-distance handicap races in England. Weld noted afterwards that Falcon Eight carried a hefty weight of 9st 12lb and still impressed, with champion jockey Frankie Dettori reportedly enthusiastic about the performance. That kind of endorsement from a rider of that calibre means something. He has also twice come agonisingly close in the Irish Cesarewitch — Weld was candid that the horse was "unlucky not to win the last two runnings," a race he may yet target again.

Where he falls short right now is at the top level. In five races at Class 2 — among the highest grade in Britain — he has not yet managed a win. And his recent form is patchy: his last 6 races show a fourth place as the best effort, with little else to shout about. The last win came at Gowran Park in April 2025, over 14 months ago. Weld has also pointed out that Falcon Eight is not one for a quick burst — he likes to creep into a race gradually, which means the run of things matters enormously. When it goes against him, as it has in back-to-back renewals of the Cesarewitch, the defeat can look worse than the performance warranted.

He raced just yesterday, so there is still plenty of story left to write.