Faro Island

Trained by A Oliver out of Caledon in County Tyrone, Faro Island comes from a yard that has been in fine form — 18 winners already this season, which suggests the stable knows how to get horses ready to perform. The first win came at Down Royal in late September 2025, and then, after a gap in which the results were patchy — a thirteenth and a fourth interrupting proceedings — the horse found top gear again with a victory at Gowran Park on 12 June 2026. That makes two wins from the last six races, which is a noticeably sharper return than the overall career average and suggests the horse has improved or settled into a routine that suits it.

W J Lee has been the regular partner in the saddle, riding Faro Island in five of those ten races and winning once together — a 1-in-5 record that mirrors the horse's overall rate. Having a regular jockey who knows the horse's tendencies is rarely a disadvantage, and that familiarity could matter as the season progresses. Faro Island raced just one day ago and is clearly on an active campaign right now, which means the team is confident enough to keep it ticking over. A horse that wins 1 in 5 and places in nearly half its races, trained by a yard firing on all cylinders, is the kind of quiet achiever that often catches people by surprise.