Mon Na Slieve

The most telling stat in Mon Na Slieve's record is what happens on normal or better ground. On those conditions, it has won 3 of its 11 races — just over 1 in 4, which is a genuinely strong return and far more impressive than the overall numbers suggest. Ryan has explained that even slightly soft conditions essentially rule this horse out of contention, which means a chunk of its 29 races will have been run in conditions where it had little chance of winning. Strip those out and the picture sharpens considerably.

The highlight so far came at York on 17 May 2023, when Mon Na Slieve won a top-level Class 2 race — one of the better sprint races in Britain. York's straight five-furlong course on fast ground is about as good as it gets for a horse with this profile, and winning there at that level is a genuine marker of ability. It then added another win at Ayr in June 2025, showing there is still something to aim at. Regular jockey Tom Eaves has partnered it in 10 of its races for 1 win together, and the pair's most recent form figures — 12-5-6-2-9-6 — show a second place lurking in there, a reminder that when the horse fires, it is competitive.

The last six races without a win will not concern Ryan too much if the ground has not been cooperating. This is not a horse to dismiss — it is a horse to follow in the small print of the racecard, specifically the ground description. When the forecast is good and the distances are five furlongs, Mon Na Slieve has shown it can mix it at a high level, and Ryan believes there are more good days to come.