Spirit Of Eagles

What makes the current moment worth paying attention to is that Spirit Of Eagles won at Fairyhouse just this week — as recently as 28 May 2026 — and raced again only yesterday. That turnaround is remarkable and suggests the team at Thomas Dowling's yard in Baltinglass, Co Wicklow spotted a horse in form and kept the foot on the accelerator. The recent run of results backs that up: the last six races read 1-3-11-12-10-5, which shows a horse that was patchy through the middle of that sequence but has come alive at the right end of it.

The Fairyhouse win is the second of the career, following a first success back at Down Royal in July 2023. Nearly three years between wins is a long wait, but it also tells you this horse has been competitive enough to keep racing at a decent level throughout. On normal ground specifically — not too wet, not too firm — Spirit Of Eagles has won 2 of its 17 races, a 12% win rate, or roughly 1 in every 8. That is a meaningfully better record than the overall career average, and it's a useful pointer for anyone following the horse going forward.

Gavin Ryan has been the most regular partner in the saddle, riding Spirit Of Eagles 7 times for 1 win together. That win rate of 14% — just under 1 in every 7 rides — is actually above the horse's career average, which suggests the partnership works. Thomas Dowling's yard has had a modest season with just the one winner sent out, making this recent Fairyhouse success all the more significant for the operation. Spirit Of Eagles may never be a headline act, but right now, it is a horse in form — and that counts for plenty.