Flying Fortress

The distance range of one mile one furlong to one mile two furlongs is clearly where Flying Fortress is most at home. Two wins from 11 races at those trips — roughly 1 in every 5-and-a-half — is a meaningful improvement on its overall record, and it suggests the horse finds its rhythm over that middle-distance ground rather than when asked to sprint or stay. When the trainer Gavin Cromwell targets those trips, it is worth paying attention.

Cromwell himself is one of the sharper operators in Irish racing, based out of Navan in County Meath and having sent out 96 winners already this season — a yard very much in form. Gary Carroll rides Flying Fortress most regularly, the pair having teamed up six times for one win together, winning roughly 1 in every 6 races as a partnership. That is a decent return and suggests Carroll knows how to get the best out of this horse.

The two wins have come at different ends of the Irish calendar — Ballinrobe in May 2025 and Listowel in late September 2025 — which hints at a horse that peaks at specific moments rather than one that runs consistently well throughout a season. The Listowel win, now nine months ago, remains the most recent, and the recent form figures of 2, pulled up, well beaten, fifth, tenth, and then that sole win suggest a horse whose best days have been patchy. The pulled-up run in particular is a flag worth noting — something clearly went wrong that day. Flying Fortress raced just yesterday, so its next chapter is still very much being written.