Small Fry

The headline numbers are genuinely impressive for a horse of this age. Small Fry has won 5 races from 19 outings, with 12 further placed finishes — that means it has finished in the top three in nearly nine out of every ten races it has run. A win rate of roughly 1 in every 4 races (26%) is solid, but the placed finishes are what really catch the eye. This is a horse that almost always shows up and competes.

The course record at Epsom Downs deserves particular attention: 2 wins from just 3 visits. Epsom is one of the most unusual tracks in Britain — undulating, twisting, and unforgiving to horses that cannot handle its quirks — so finding a horse that has cracked the code there twice in three attempts is something worth noting. It is not a coincidence; Small Fry simply handles the place.

Trainer Joseph Patrick O'Brien, operating out of Owning Hill in County Kilkenny, has had a phenomenal season — 155 winners sent out this year alone, which speaks to a yard operating at a very high level. Jockey Tom Queally has been the regular partner, winning 2 of their 5 races together, a hit rate of 40% — two in every five rides ending in victory is a strong partnership by any measure. Small Fry also has a clear preference for longer distances, between a mile and six furlongs and two miles, winning 5 of 12 races (42%) at those trips, and performs best on normal ground, winning 2 of 5 races (40%) in those conditions.

The one question mark is the gap since its last race — roughly four months off since that Epsom win in June 2025. Horses return from breaks in varying shape, and the recent form of ninth, ninth before those two wins shows it is not always at the front of the field. But when Small Fry is on song, particularly at Epsom on a good surface over a staying trip, it has proven it belongs at the top table.