Kovanis

His first win came at Leopardstown on 28 December 2024, a track with a reputation for attracting good horses, so getting off the mark there matters. He then went to Punchestown for a race his trainer described as a hot contest, ran respectably, and came back to Clonmel on 6 November 2025 to win — with stable representative Lisa O'Neill pointing out afterwards that the step up in trip was the key. Jockey Jack Kennedy reported he moved beautifully through the wet ground, which tells you something useful: this is a horse that does not mind the conditions getting tough underfoot. Plenty of horses hate the mud. Kovanis, apparently, goes through it lovely.

Elliott's yard is operating at a remarkable level this season — 210 winners is not a number that happens by accident. It is one of the most powerful training operations in Ireland, and horses who earn a place in its programme tend to be there for a reason. The stable's view on Kovanis is straightforwardly positive: they believe the longer the trip, the better he will get, and they think there are more wins in him over a staying distance through the winter months. He last raced 48 days ago, so a short freshening-up break is behind him and he will be ready to run.

The recent form — a couple of nines followed by a win, a blank, and a third — looks a little messy on paper, but the context matters. A horse running ninth in a race his trainer called genuinely competitive, then winning next time out, is a horse being placed smartly and learning on the job. At six, with two wins already and a team that clearly rates him, Kovanis looks like exactly the kind of horse who could put together a useful sequence once conditions fall his way.