Go Athletico

Two of Go Athletico's three career victories have come at The Curragh, Ireland's most prestigious flat track, and that is not a coincidence. Thirteen races there is a substantial body of evidence, and the horse has figured out something about that particular stretch of turf that suits it. Winning 2 from 13 at a track of that quality tells you this is a horse that turns up for the big occasion rather than shying away from it. The most recent of those Curragh wins came on 19 July 2025, so we are talking about a horse that is still competitive at a high level at eight years old — an age when plenty of horses have been quietly retired.

The current form raises a question, though. Go Athletico has not won in its last 6 races, and recent runs have included a 15th and two 7th-place finishes, suggesting the horse has been finding life a little harder lately. That said, it raced just one day ago, so the yard is clearly not losing faith. Adrian McGuinness, based in Lusk, Co Dublin, has had a productive season — 39 winners sent out, which is the kind of output that speaks to a trainer who knows how to place a horse right.

The one puzzle is the partnership with jockey Adam Caffrey, who has ridden Go Athletico seven times without a win between them. That is not necessarily a crisis — plenty of good horses and talented jockeys simply do not click — but it is worth noting that neither of the Curragh victories came with Caffrey aboard. The first career win arrived at Cork back in June 2023, and the horse has shown across its career that it can find the line when the conditions are right.

Go Athletico is not a horse that dominates, but it is one that keeps showing up, keeps placing, and has a habit of reserving its best for Ireland's finest track. At eight, with an active campaign still running, it is not done yet.