Selective Power

The career started promisingly enough, with a first win at Dundalk back in November 2022. Since then Selective Power has continued to show up and compete, most recently adding a win at Roscommon in September 2025 — though that is now ten months in the rearview mirror, and the last six races have produced nothing better than a fourth place. Finishes of 8, 10, 11, 4, 9 and 4 suggest a horse that is running consistently without quite finding another gear at the critical moment.

Thomas Coyle trains Selective Power from his yard in Batterstown, County Meath, and it has been a steady if unspectacular season — two winners sent out so far. The most regular jockey in the saddle is James Ryan, who has ridden the horse 11 times and won twice together, a rate of roughly 1 in every 5 of their shared rides. That is actually a meaningful connection — when Ryan is aboard, the results are noticeably better than the overall career average would suggest.

What keeps Selective Power interesting is simple: it raced just yesterday, meaning it is right in the thick of things and clearly considered capable of better by the team at Batterstown. Horses who are placed consistently without winning are sometimes frustrating to follow, but they are also the kind that can spring a surprise when the pieces fall into place. With Ryan back in the saddle and the right conditions, do not write off a fifth career win just yet.