Kiltealy Park

The overall career numbers are impressive too. Fifteen races, five wins, seven places — that means Kiltealy Park has finished in the first three in roughly 80% of its races, and has won one in every three it has entered. That is a genuinely high win rate for a horse at this level, and it suggests a consistent, reliable performer rather than a one-hit wonder. It picked up its first career win at Wexford in April 2024, and has never really looked back.

Conditions matter with this horse. On wet or muddy ground, Kiltealy Park has won 2 of its 4 races — a 50% win rate that should have any punter paying close attention when the rain comes. That is not a coincidence; some horses have a physical style that suits soft, testing ground, and Kiltealy Park is clearly one of them. When the forecast is grim, its chances get considerably brighter.

The partnership with jockey Sean Flanagan is worth noting. The two have teamed up nine times, producing three wins together — winning at the same rate of roughly 1 in 3. That is a jockey who knows this horse well, and the consistency between them shows. Behind the scenes, trainer Paul Nolan has had a strong season at his Enniscorthy base, sending out 25 winners — a yard in good form, and one that clearly knows how to place this horse to best effect.

Most tellingly of all, Kiltealy Park won at Wexford just this week. It raced one day ago, and it won. The recent form of 1-dash-dash-6-8-5-1 shows a horse that has had quiet spells but keeps finding form at exactly the right moment. Whatever Paul Nolan is doing with this horse, it is working — and if it heads back to Wexford on a wet day with Flanagan in the saddle, it would be a very brave person who bets against it.