Le Grand Vert

The wet stuff brings out the best in Le Grand Vert. On soft or muddy ground, the record reads 2 wins from 8 races — a 25% win rate, which means winning 1 in every 4 times conditions turn in its favour. For context, that is more than double the overall career win rate. When the rain comes, this horse becomes a very different proposition. Trainer Noel C Kelly, based at Draperstown in Co. Derry, clearly knows how to place a horse — his yard has sent out 14 winners already this season, and Le Grand Vert is one of them.

The most striking number in the record, though, is the Ayr figure: 2 wins from just 3 races at that track. That is an extraordinary return at a single course — winning 2 out of 3 anywhere is the kind of ratio most horses never get close to in their entire careers. Course specialists exist across racing, but usually it takes many more visits to establish a pattern. Le Grand Vert has done it in three trips.

When Mr O McGill is in the saddle, the combination works well too — 2 wins from 7 races together, a win rate of 29%, or roughly 1 in every 3 and a half rides. That partnership looks worth following. Le Grand Vert raced just yesterday and remains active, so with wet ground, the right track, and the right jockey, there is every reason to think this ten-year-old has more wins left in the tank.