Hopes Are High
Hopes Are High is a 4-year-old with real talent for distance racing, though consistency remains a work in progress. In 12 races to date, the horse has won twice and placed in the money seven times—a record that reads respectably on paper but masks something more interesting: when given longer distances of two miles or more, Hopes Are High genuinely shines. Over those trips, it has won 2 of 6 races, a win rate of roughly one win in every three attempts, which stands out sharply against its overall win rate of 1 in 6 across all distances.Based on TrackLab's analysis
Owner
Dont Tell Your Mother Syndicate
📊 Key numbers
Career totals for this horse
🔍 Full analysis
Our model's view, based on this horse's career and recent runs
Both victories have come at Irish tracks. The first breakthrough came at Ballinrobe in August 2025, then came a second win at Listowel in September of the same year—but that was twelve months ago now, and the horse has not found the winner's circle since. Recent form has been patchy: a third, a win, a second place, a sixth, a third, and most recently a sixth from its last six races. That sequence suggests a horse that still has ability but is struggling to harness it consistently.
Trained by William Durkan at Sandyford in County Dublin, Hopes Are High runs for a yard that has enjoyed a productive season, sending out fifteen winners. The horse is still actively racing—it ran just a day ago—so there is time yet to rebuild a winning thread. At four years old and with proven form at distance, the foundation is there. What it needs now is a return to that longer distance sweetspot where it has shown it can genuinely compete.
⚡ Strengths and risks
What helps this horse and what to watch out for
✓ What works in their favour
✔ Well suited by Long Distance (2m+) distances: 33% win rate
🎯 Where this horse runs best
Results split by ground, distance, race level and track shape
🌧 Ground
Good (a little give)
Likes
Good to yielding (mild give)
Unknown
Yielding (slightly soft)
Unknown
Standard (all-weather)
Unknown
Yielding to soft (damp)
Unknown
📏 Race distance
Long Distance (2M+)
Loves
🏟 Track shape
Right-handed, tight
Unknown
Left-handed, long straights
Unknown
Left-handed, tight turns
Unknown
Right-handed, hilly
Unknown
Right-handed, tight turns
Unknown
Right-handed, long straights
Avoids
📅 Recent runs
The last 10 races, most recent first
24 Sep
6th
Listowel
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 14 runners
4 Sep
3rd
Kilbeggan
Long Distance (2m+) · Good_To_Yielding · 10 runners
29 Jul
6th
Galway
1m6f – 2m · Yielding · 21 runners
14 Oct
2nd
Punchestown
Long Distance (2m+) · Good_To_Yielding · 8 runners
21 Sep
🏆 Won
Listowel
Long Distance (2m+) · Yielding_To_Soft · 10 runners
29 Aug
3rd
Down Royal
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 8 runners
11 Aug
🏆 Won
Ballinrobe
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 14 runners
27 Jun
12th
The Curragh
7f – 1m · Good · 16 runners
16 May
4th
Leopardstown
1m1f – 1m2f · Good · 18 runners
7 May
4th
Gowran Park
7f – 1m · Good · 15 runners
🏇 Jockeys
Every jockey who has ridden this horse, most rides first
🏟 Course record
Win rate at each course this horse has visited
| Course | Races | Results | Last run | Win rate |
|---|
| Listowel Sharp |
2 |
1 win, 1 other |
24 Sep |
50% |
| Gowran Park Undulating |
2 |
1 third, 1 other |
7 May |
0% |
| Ballinrobe Sharp |
1 |
1 win |
11 Aug |
100% |
| Down Royal Galloping |
1 |
1 third |
29 Aug |
0% |
| The Curragh Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
27 Jun |
0% |
| Kilbeggan Tight |
1 |
1 third |
4 Sep |
0% |
| Punchestown Galloping |
1 |
1 second |
14 Oct |
0% |
| Dundalk Galloping |
1 |
1 third |
10 Jan |
0% |
| Galway Tight |
1 |
1 other |
29 Jul |
0% |
| Leopardstown Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
16 May |
0% |