Lough Leane

The horse is a true specialist on normal ground: he has won 6 of his 11 races on that surface, a win rate of well over half. He has also found a second gear at the middle distances, particularly between 1 mile 1 furlong and 1 mile 2 furlongs, where he has recorded all seven of his career wins from 20 attempts — a 35% win rate that is genuinely eye-catching. Most tellingly, Lough Leane owns Southwell: he has won two of his three races there, a dominance that makes him a threat whenever the yard run him at that all-weather track. His last victory came at Ballinrobe on 8 May, three months ago, and that sense of momentum means he is not ready for the scrapheap just yet.

Recent form has been patchy — fourth, seventh, then fourth again before a 15th-place finish — but his jockey Callum Shepherd offered a telling insight after a recent win, noting that Lough Leane "managed to follow up" after time away and had probably "felt the pinch a little." The horse has shown he responds to being kept fresh. The trainer has always believed in him, noting that Lough Leane "runs up a nice sequence" on fast surfaces and has been "very consistent" since returning to form in 2024. With his owners, the Twenty Stars Partnership, behind him and another run likely before the season ends, this is a horse that still has a few rounds left in him.