Solsbury Hill

The key to understanding Solsbury Hill is the ground. On wet, muddy going, this horse is a different animal entirely — 2 wins from just 4 races in those conditions, meaning it has won half the time the ground has been soft underfoot. Compare that to its record on faster ground, where it has never troubled the winner's enclosure, and you have a horse with a very specific set of preferences. Find the right conditions and Solsbury Hill turns into something genuinely competitive.

The partnership with jockey Charlie O'Dwyer, who is also the trainer's son, has been the consistent thread through the horse's career. Together they have ridden in 10 races and won 2 of them — a win rate of 20%, or roughly 1 in every 5 rides together. That is a noticeably better return than Solsbury Hill manages with other riders, and it suggests the pair have developed a real understanding. The yard as a whole has been in decent nick too, sending out 4 winners already this season.

Recent form tells a lively story. The last six runs, reading from oldest to most recent, show a win, then a fourth, a win, a seventh, a ninth, and a blank — but that sequence is running backwards, so what it actually tells you is that Solsbury Hill has been gradually warming up. The most recent of those two wins came at Roscommon in August 2025, and the horse raced just yesterday, keeping itself busy and current. With Conor O'Dwyer's yard in form and the Irish autumn likely to bring softer ground along with it, Solsbury Hill is the kind of horse that could easily catch people off guard when conditions swing its way.