Neo Smart

What's clear from the record is that distance matters. Over seven furlongs to a mile, Neo Smart has won 2 of its 13 races at those trips — a win rate of around 1 in 6, which is meaningfully better than its overall numbers and suggests the horse has a genuine sweet spot. Keep it within those limits and it becomes a different animal. Stretch it beyond a mile, and the statistics drop off. That kind of distance precision is exactly what a trainer like Bolger, one of the shrewdest operators in Irish racing, will be well aware of.

The two career wins themselves are worth noting. The first came at Dundalk in November 2023, an indoor all-weather track known for producing results that don't always travel. But the second win landed at The Curragh in April 2025 — Ireland's most prestigious flat racing venue — which is a different proposition entirely. Winning at The Curragh means beating better horses in a better race, and it suggests Neo Smart is capable of stepping up when the conditions are right.

Since that Curragh win, though, the form has been patchy. The last six results — a blank, ninth, seventh, seventh, fourth, fifth — show a horse that has been racing regularly without threatening the winner's enclosure. Rory Cleary, who rides Neo Smart most often and partnered the horse to one of those two wins from 12 races together, has been unable to find the key to getting the best out of it lately. The yard has sent out 8 winners this season, so it's not like Bolger's horses aren't firing — Neo Smart just hasn't been one of them. With the horse having raced as recently as yesterday, the team clearly hasn't given up on finding another day like that April afternoon at The Curragh.