Stone Bear

The partnership with jockey Siobhan Rutledge is one of the most striking details in this story. In five races together, the two have won three times — that is 60%, or 3 in every 5 rides. For context, a win rate of 1 in 5 is considered very good in racing. Winning 3 in every 5 is extraordinary, and it tells you this is a combination that clearly clicks. When Rutledge is booked, Stone Bear turns up.

There is also a clear love affair with Dundalk, an all-weather track in County Louth that races year-round regardless of the weather. Stone Bear has won 2 of its 5 races there, including its very first career victory back in January 2026. Horses that repeatedly return to a track and keep performing tend to do so for a reason — the surface suits them, the layout suits them, or both. Dundalk appears to bring out something in Stone Bear that other tracks have not always managed.

Behind the scenes, this is a horse trained by Ross O'Sullivan out of a yard in Kilcullen, County Kildare. With 40 winners already sent out this season, O'Sullivan's operation is clearly in fine form, and Stone Bear is part of why. The horse's most recent win came at Fairyhouse just two weeks ago, and with a race as recently as yesterday, it is very much in the thick of an active campaign. Recent form reading 1-3-1-3-1 going back through the last five runs paints the picture of a horse that bounces between winning and placing without ever falling far — competitive every time it steps on the track. At three years old and improving, Stone Bear looks like a horse with more to say.