Park Of Kings

The partnership with jockey Mark Walsh stands out immediately. In nine races together, Walsh has ridden Park of Kings to all three of its career wins — that's a win rate of 33%, or 1 in every 3 rides. For context, that is a dramatically better record than the horse manages with anyone else. When Walsh is in the saddle, something clicks. Whether that's down to the jockey's feel for the horse, smart race placement, or a bit of both, the numbers make a compelling case that this combination is the one to watch.

Trainer Paul Nolan operates out of Enniscorthy in County Wexford, and his yard has been in good form this season with 25 winners already on the board. Park of Kings fits the profile of a horse that rewards patience — the last win came at Gowran Park in October 2024, which is now 20 months ago. Six races since without a victory will test anyone's faith, and recent form of 4th, pulled up twice, 9th, 5th, and 12th makes for mixed reading. The two non-completions in that sequence are the kind of detail that raises questions, though racing does see horses pulled up for all sorts of reasons, from conditions not suiting to the trainer being cautious.

What keeps Park of Kings interesting is history. The first win came at Roscommon in September 2023, and the most recent at Gowran Park a year later — suggesting a horse that surfaces at the right moment rather than winning in clusters. At eight years old and still racing — in fact, out just yesterday — there's clearly still belief from the Nolan yard that another moment like Gowran Park is not out of reach. The question is whether Walsh gets the call again, because if the past tells us anything, that's when the odds of seeing Park of Kings in the winner's enclosure shorten considerably.