Positive Thinker
Positive Thinker is a nine-year-old who has won 3 of his 25 races — roughly 1 win every 8 or 9 outings — and has picked up 16 places besides, which shows he has genuine ability but can be frustratingly inconsistent. He was a late bloomer, not recording his first win until April 2023 at Tipperary, and his last victory came at Limerick in October of that year. That was three years ago now, which is a substantial drought. His most recent outing was just yesterday, and he finished eleventh — not a glorious return, though the two races before that saw him post a second and a third place, suggesting there is still fight in him.Based on TrackLab's analysis
📊 Key numbers
Career totals for this horse
🔍 Full analysis
Our model's view, based on this horse's career and recent runs
Sean O'Keeffe has ridden him nine times and won on him twice, a 22% win rate with the horse that stands considerably above his overall win rate. That kind of partnership can matter; when a jockey clicks with a horse, it often shows in the results. Michael J McDonagh's yard at Shannon, in County Clare, is relatively modest — 5 winners this season places them in the lower tier of training operations — but that also means Positive Thinker gets individualized attention rather than being a small cog in a vast machine. The horse clearly retains some ability: his string of recent finishes (11th, 8th, 10th, 8th, 2nd, 3rd) tells a story of a veteran plodding along, capable of the occasional respectable run but without the sharpness that wins races. At nine years old and three years without a victory, Positive Thinker is what the racing world calls a campaigner — a horse who keeps showing up, keeps trying, but is living on past glories and the hope that one more good day lies somewhere ahead.
⚡ Strengths and risks
What helps this horse and what to watch out for
✓ What works in their favour
✔ Excellent record on soft_to_heavy ground: 1 wins from 5 starts (20%)
✔ Excellent record on heavy ground: 1 wins from 4 starts (25%)
✔ Excellent record on yielding ground: 1 wins from 3 starts (33%)
⚠ What to watch out for
⚠ Poor record on soft ground: 0 wins from 6 starts
⚠ Poor record on good ground: 0 wins from 5 starts
🎯 Where this horse runs best
Results split by ground, distance, race level and track shape
🌧 Ground
Soft to heavy (wet)
Loves
Yielding (slightly soft)
Loves
Yielding to soft (damp)
Unknown
Good (a little give)
Avoids
📏 Race distance
Long Distance (2M+)
Likes
🏟 Track shape
Right-handed, hilly
Loves
Left-handed, long straights
Loves
Right-handed, long straights
Ok
Right-handed, tight
Unknown
Right-handed, tight turns
Avoids
📅 Recent runs
The last 10 races, most recent first
2 Oct
11th
Gowran Park
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 16 runners
22 Jan
8th
Gowran Park
Long Distance (2m+) · Heavy · 18 runners
30 Nov
10th
Fairyhouse
Long Distance (2m+) · Yielding_To_Soft · 15 runners
9 Nov
8th
Naas
Long Distance (2m+) · Soft_To_Heavy · 14 runners
3 Nov
2nd
Cork
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 14 runners
30 Sep
3rd
Roscommon
Long Distance (2m+) · Soft · 15 runners
1 Apr
4th
Fairyhouse
Long Distance (2m+) · Soft_To_Heavy · 12 runners
10 Mar
2nd
Naas
Long Distance (2m+) · Soft · 13 runners
11 Feb
3rd
Navan
Long Distance (2m+) · Soft_To_Heavy · 8 runners
23 Jan
2nd
Down Royal
Long Distance (2m+) · Soft · 8 runners
🏇 Jockeys
Every jockey who has ridden this horse, most rides first
🏟 Course record
Win rate at each course this horse has visited
| Course | Races | Results | Last run | Win rate |
|---|
| Gowran Park Undulating |
5 |
1 win, 1 third, 3 other |
2 Oct |
20% |
| Limerick Galloping |
3 |
1 win, 2 seconds |
22 Oct |
33.3% |
| Fairyhouse Galloping |
3 |
1 second, 2 other |
30 Nov |
0% |
| Cork Galloping |
3 |
2 seconds, 1 third |
3 Nov |
0% |
| Tipperary Galloping |
2 |
1 win, 1 other |
4 May |
50% |
| Naas Galloping |
2 |
1 second, 1 other |
9 Nov |
0% |
| Down Royal Galloping |
1 |
1 second |
23 Jan |
0% |
| Roscommon Sharp |
1 |
1 third |
30 Sep |
0% |
| Galway Tight |
1 |
1 other |
5 Sep |
0% |
| Ballinrobe Sharp |
1 |
1 second |
15 Sep |
0% |
| Punchestown Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
12 Oct |
0% |
| Wexford Sharp |
1 |
1 third |
31 Oct |
0% |
| Navan Galloping |
1 |
1 third |
11 Feb |
0% |