Mary Shoelaces

The Curragh, sitting in the heart of County Kildare, is one of Ireland's most prestigious and demanding tracks, and it is where Mary Shoelaces has done her best work. She got off the mark there on 21 July 2024 and came back to win again on 16 October 2025 — eight months ago now. In between, she has shown enough consistency to collect 10 placed finishes across her career, meaning she has finished in the frame in nearly half of all her races. She is rarely far away, even when the win does not come.

Her recent form tells a mixed story. Reading her last six races from most recent back — 7, 6, 10, 1, 9, 4 — you can see the volatile pattern of a horse who can look ordinary one day and then find something special the next. That single win buried in the sequence is the most recent of her career, suggesting she has not lost the ability, even if she is making her backers work for it. Crucially, she raced just one day ago, meaning she is bang in form and her trainer clearly believes in keeping her busy.

She is handled by Eddie and Patrick Harty, a father-and-son yard based at Curragh in County Kildare that has sent out 16 winners already this season — a healthy tally that suggests a yard operating with genuine confidence. Her most regular partner in the saddle is Jessica O'Gorman, who has ridden her in 8 of her races for 1 win together, winning roughly 1 in every 8 rides. That partnership is still finding its best, but the combination of a in-form yard, a familiar jockey, and a horse that visibly thrives at one of Ireland's great tracks makes Mary Shoelaces a name worth remembering next time The Curragh comes around.