Spanish John

The sweet spot for Spanish John is a trip of one mile six furlongs to two miles. In that range he has won 2 of 14 races — a 14% win rate, or roughly 1 in every 7 — which is meaningfully better than his overall record and suggests he is a horse who genuinely needs time and distance to get into a rhythm. Over shorter trips, he tends to find less.

His most recent win came at Bellewstown in October 2025, around eight months ago, and he has not managed to get back to the winner's enclosure since. The last six runs read as a fall, then a second, a second again, a fourth, a ninth, and a sixth — so there is form in there, particularly those back-to-back placed efforts, but the win has dried up. Jockey Cian Horgan has ridden him five times without getting him home first, though their partnership is still developing and the placed efforts suggest the horse is competitive rather than out of form entirely.

Trainer P A Fahy operates out of Leighlinbridge in County Carlow and has sent out 9 winners already this season, so the yard is in decent nick. Spanish John raced just yesterday, which means he is firmly in the thick of his campaign right now rather than being aimed at something in the distance. For a horse of his age and record, that consistency of participation is something — he keeps showing up, and every now and then, he reminds everyone why.