Its On The Line

Now nine years old and trained by Emmet Mullins at his yard in Bagenalstown, Co. Carlow, Its On The Line is very much still at it. It last raced 16 days ago, and its most recent win came on St Stephen's Day 2025 at Down Royal — a race-day that draws huge crowds in Ireland and, on that occasion, a horse worth cheering for. Mullins has had a productive season, sending out 31 winners, and this is one of his more reliable performers.

The ground tells a big part of the story. On wet or muddy ground, Its On The Line has won all three races it has run in — a perfect record. That 100% record on soft ground is not a small sample size fluke; it suggests a horse that genuinely relishes the conditions rather than simply tolerating them, and the yard will be watching the weather forecasts closely. Equally striking is its record at Punchestown, Ireland's most celebrated jumps track — three races, three wins. Some horses just feel at home somewhere, and Punchestown appears to be that place.

The partnership with amateur rider Mr Derek O'Connor has been central to the horse's success. In 12 races together, O'Connor has guided it to 6 wins — a 50% win rate, or 1 in every 2 races. That kind of consistency between horse and rider is rare and tends to get noticed.

Where Its On The Line has found life tougher is at the very top level. Competing mostly in Class 2 races — some of the better contests on the calendar — it has won just 1 from 6 at that level, or roughly 1 in 6. The exception was Aintree in April 2024, when it won a Class 2 race at one of the most famous racecourses in the world. That win alone tells you this horse can deliver on a big stage. With recent form reading 2-1-1-2-3-2 and a last win just three months ago, it is clearly still in the form of its life.