Inchiquin Star

And when conditions fall right, they really fall right. On wet, muddy ground, Inchiquin Star transforms: 2 wins from just 5 races in those conditions is a 40% win rate, which is a remarkable return. Most horses on the track win far less frequently than that. When the rain comes and the ground gets soft, this is a horse worth paying attention to.

The same applies at Wexford racecourse specifically, where Inchiquin Star has won 2 of 5 visits — again, that 40% figure. For context, winning 2 in every 5 races at any track is the kind of record that marks a course specialist, the sort of horse that simply takes to a particular track's shape, bends, or terrain. Trainers and jockeys remember these things.

Terence O'Brien, who trains Inchiquin Star from his yard in Carrigtoohill, County Cork, has had 10 winners already this season — a productive yard running in decent form. The partnership with jockey Cian Quirke has been the most fruitful combination for this horse: 3 wins from 11 races together works out at 27%, or roughly 1 in every 4 rides, which is well above the horse's overall average and suggests Quirke understands exactly what this horse needs.

The one cloud is that Inchiquin Star hasn't won since Gowran Park in May 2025 — over 13 months ago now — and the last six results, ranging from fourth to ninth, suggest a horse that is finding the frame but not quite getting back to the winner's enclosure. The first career win came at Tramore in August 2023, and the horse has added three more since. Whether a soaking wet day at Wexford is what it takes to spark the next one, only time will tell — but that combination has worked twice before.