Leveraging

The win came at Dundalk on 19 December 2025, and it stands as the highlight of what has been a mixed campaign. Looking at the recent form in reverse order, Leveraging finished tenth, then ninth, then sixth, before breaking through for that victory — a trajectory that suggests the horse was improving with each run and peaked at exactly the right moment. Whether that improvement has continued is the interesting question, because Leveraging has not raced since, sitting out the last three months.

That absence is worth noting. A hundred days off for a two-year-old can mean all sorts of things — a minor setback, a planned winter break, or simply a trainer waiting for the right opportunity. Ms Sheila Lavery, who trains the horse, has sent out four winners this season, so the yard is ticking along without setting the world alight. Lavery is a patient operator, and the fact that Leveraging is returning rather than being rushed back suggests there is a plan here rather than a scramble.

The key question on its return is whether the Dundalk win was a sign of things to come or simply a horse catching a favourable moment. The form either side of it — finishing sixth, ninth, and tenth — is more modest, so it would be unwise to assume the win tells the whole story. Still, every good horse has to win somewhere for the first time, and Leveraging has that box ticked. Now it needs to show it can do it again.