Smallcraftwarning

Both career victories have come in 2025, which is worth noting. The first arrived at Clonmel in June, and the second at Killarney in July — so for a brief few weeks this summer, Smallcraftwarning looked like a horse that had found some form. That Killarney win, though, now sits 12 months in the rearview mirror, and the six races since have brought nothing better than a second place. The most recent run came just yesterday, so this is very much an active campaign, even if the winning thread has gone quiet again.

Daniel King rides when the opportunity arises, and their partnership of 8 races together has produced that 1 win — a win rate of 12%, or 1 in every 8 races, which is actually ahead of the horse's overall average. That's not nothing. Trainer John Patrick Ryan operates out of Templemore in County Tipperary, and his yard has had a productive season with 21 winners sent out — so the team clearly knows how to get horses winning. The question for Smallcraftwarning is whether there's another moment like Killarney still in the locker at nine years old.

For a casual observer, here's the honest summary: this is a veteran horse who has earned its place on a racecourse through consistency rather than brilliance. It won't win often, but it keeps showing up, keeps finishing close enough to matter, and occasionally — as this summer briefly showed — it finds a gear that reminds everyone why it's still in training.