Down Royal, tucked away in County Down in Northern Ireland, is a track that rewards jumping ability and a relaxed travelling style, and Lizzie Twigg clearly took to it immediately. Winning there on St Patrick's Day adds a little extra colour to the record — it is one of the most festive days in the Irish racing calendar, with bigger crowds and a livelier atmosphere than most midweek meetings. Doing it on that occasion, on just a second career run, suggests a horse with some natural confidence.
The team behind her is as strong as it gets. Gordon Elliott, operating out of Longwood in County Meath, has sent out 209 winners already this season — that is not a yard doing things quietly. Elliott is one of the dominant forces in jump racing on either side of the Irish Sea, and when a young horse lands in his care, it tends to mean serious ambitions are attached. The fact that Lizzie Twigg has raced just twice at the age of five also suggests she has been given time to develop rather than being rushed through her early education. That is often a sign that the team sees something worth protecting.
She raced again just yesterday, so a full result is not yet available, but the trajectory here is clear: a horse improving quickly, in the hands of a trainer at the very top of his game, with a course win already banked before her career has properly begun.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Down Royal Galloping |
1 | 1 win | 17 Mar | 100% |
| Fairyhouse Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 4 Apr | 0% |