Solness

The clearest picture of Solness emerges at Leopardstown, where he has won four of his six races there. That is a dominance rate of two wins in three attempts, the kind of consistency that transforms a course into a second home. He loves soft ground too, winning more than half his races on wet or muddy ground—five victories from nine attempts. Last week he returned to winning form at Bellewstown, his most recent success coming on soft ground where he thrives. That win came just days ago, which means Solness is in active racing mode right now, ready to run again.

Working with trainer Joseph Patrick O'Brien's yard at Owning Hill in County Kilkenny, Solness has found a stable that has sent out 160 winners this season alone. His regular partner is jockey J J Slevin, who has ridden him to four wins from fifteen races together. But Solness has recently proved he can deliver for other riders too—notably Sam Ewing, who steered him to victory at Leopardstown, where the trainer observed afterward that Solness is "tough as nails" and "a very clever jumper." O'Brien remains bullish about the horse's prospects, though he avoids the very top races: Solness has never won from three attempts at Class 1 level, suggesting his ceiling lies a rung below the elite. Yet on soft ground at courses where he has established dominance, Solness remains a horse worth watching.