Sa Fureur

The most interesting thing about Sa Fureur is what happens when the weather turns nasty. On wet, muddy ground, he's won 2 from 3 races — a 67% win rate that is frankly extraordinary. Most horses tolerate conditions; this one seems to actively relish them. His rider Jordan Gainford put it simply after one win: the ground was lovely for him. When it's soft underfoot, Sa Fureur becomes a very different proposition.

He's trained by Gordon Elliott at Longwood in County Meath, one of the most powerful operations in Irish racing. Elliott's yard has sent out 210 winners already this season — that's an almost industrial level of success — so Sa Fureur is operating in very good hands. Jack Kennedy, one of the yard's go-to jockeys, has ridden him in 6 races and won 1, which is a 17% win rate. Not spectacular, but Kennedy has noted that Sa Fureur shows a good attitude, and Elliott himself has described him as versatile — a horse who can be aimed at different types of race depending on what suits him on the day.

That versatility is currently being tested. Sa Fureur hasn't won in his last 6 races, and his most recent form figures — a string of fourth places and a couple of disappointing efforts — suggest he's been struggling to find his best. His last win came at Navan in December 2024, now 17 months ago. When it comes to the very biggest occasions, he's yet to deliver: three runs in top-level Class 1 races have produced no wins. Elliott ran him in the Grand Annual at the Cheltenham Festival last year and he ran well before making a mistake two from home — the kind of near-miss that suggests the talent is there, even if the results haven't followed.

Raced just yesterday and still active, Sa Fureur is clearly being kept busy. The Elliott team are weighing up several options for him, and if the skies open up between now and then, he could easily make himself relevant again.