Grace Faraday

Her most recent victory came this week, on 7 September at Galway, and before that she'd won at the same track in early July — two wins in her last six races, which suggests she's found form again just when it counts. The pattern is clear: give her soft or muddy ground and she's a different proposition entirely. From six races on such terrain, she's won two of them, a 33% win rate that stands out sharply against her overall record. On faster, drier ground, she's much more ordinary, which is vital information for anyone thinking about running her.

Trained by Anthony McCann at Castleblaney in County Monaghan, Grace Faraday has been ridden most often by James O'Sullivan — though that partnership has yielded just one win from nine races together. The mare has raced just once in the last day or so and remains active, so McCann clearly sees races for her. At this stage of her career, with a modest earnings record, Grace Faraday is exactly what she appears to be: a reliable, honest horse who has found her niche on the Irish circuit, particularly when conditions turn soft and a course like Galway comes around.