Shaool

Trained by JP Murtagh out of Coolaghknock Glebe in Co Kildare — a yard that has sent out 53 winners already this season, so clearly no shortage of ability coming through the gates — Shaool got off the mark at Leopardstown on 12 June 2025. That first win matters because Leopardstown is one of Ireland's most competitive tracks, not a place where weak horses find a soft opening. The horse has returned to winning form there since, with the most recent victory coming on 19 October 2025. Finding a track you like and going back to win on it twice is not coincidence — it suggests a horse that handles that particular test particularly well.

The partnership with jockey Ben Coen is worth noting. Across 9 races together they have won 2, a win rate of around 22%, which is marginally better than Shaool's overall record. When a jockey keeps getting the call and keeps delivering at a slightly higher rate than the horse's average, it usually means the two have built a rhythm worth trusting.

The recent form reading 7-6-6-1-1-2 is interesting precisely because of what it hides. Those three results at the wrong end of the field might look discouraging at first glance, but sandwiched inside that sequence are back-to-back wins — proof that Shaool can find top gear when conditions click. The horse also appears to hit its best over distances of around a mile and one to a mile and two furlongs, winning 1 from 3 at those trips, a 33% clip that is noticeably sharper than its overall record. That is the sweet spot, and it is worth keeping in mind.

Raced just one day ago and still active, Shaool is a horse in the middle of its story rather than at the end of it.