Pepper Noir

Both of those wins came in a tight window: 27 November and 13 December 2024, on normal ground, over the longer distances of a mile and six furlongs to two miles. That's significant, because it tells you something clear about what Pepper Noir needs. Give it room to run, decent ground underfoot, and the right track, and it becomes a different animal. At those longer trips specifically, the record reads 2 wins from 6 races — winning 1 in every 3, which is a genuinely strong ratio for any horse at this level.

The partnership with jockey Gary Carroll is worth noting too. Together they've won 2 from 8 races — 25%, or 1 in every 4 rides — which is a meaningful hit rate and suggests Carroll has a feel for how this horse operates. McConnell's yard has been in good nick this season, sending out 36 winners, so there's no shortage of confidence behind the operation.

The honest part of the picture is that those Dundalk wins are now 19 months in the past, and Pepper Noir hasn't won in its last 6 races. The recent form figures — a couple of eighth-place finishes punctuated by gaps — don't suggest a horse threatening to burst back into the winner's circle any time soon. At five years old and with a career record of 2 wins and 8 places from 25 races, winning roughly 1 in every 12 runs overall, this is a consistent if modest performer. But point it back towards Dundalk, on a decent surface, over a proper distance, and with Carroll aboard — and suddenly you have a horse with a specific and repeatable profile that any shrewd race-goer would recognise as worth watching.