Ottoman Style

The most striking thing about this horse is what wet ground does for him. On soft, muddy conditions he has won 2 of his 3 races — a remarkable two-in-three hit rate that tells you he is a completely different animal when the ground rides heavy. Jockey Conor Maxwell, who knows him well from 5 rides together, noticed it too: when asked after his win at Down Royal in March 2023, Maxwell said he simply lengthened when asked on the deep ground, still learning as he went. A horse that thrives in the mud and keeps finding more when pressed is exactly the type of profile that makes punters very interested when the rain arrives.

That Down Royal win, on St Patrick's Day 2023, is now 40 months in the rear-view mirror, and his last 6 races have produced nothing better than a fourth place. His recent form reads bleakly. At the higher end of the race ladder — Class 1 or 2 level — he has won nothing from 3 attempts, which suggests the ceiling has been found. He has raced just one day ago, so he is clearly still active and in training, and McLoughlin's yard isn't sending horses out without reason.

Ottoman Style came with a serious pedigree on paper — a half-brother to Brahma Bull, a chaser rated 154, which puts his sibling firmly among the elite. Early observers described him as a lovely individual who worked like a stayer, and his jumping was praised as impeccable. At 10, he's no longer the exciting prospect of those early days. But with wet ground in the forecast and Maxwell in the saddle, there remains a version of this horse worth keeping an eye on.