Surpass And Shine

The horse's wins came at decent venues: first at Naas in May 2025, then at Down Royal in June of the same year. Since that Down Royal victory fifteen months ago, though, Surpass And Shine has not found the winner's circle. Recent form has been a struggle — the last six races have yielded a fourteenth, eleventh, fifteenth, twelfth, eleventh, and most recently a first-place finish just a day ago, suggesting the horse remains active and competitive despite the long drought. That latest effort is worth watching; after so long without a win, any sign of a return to form matters.

The horse performs noticeably better on normal ground, winning 2 of 11 races (18 per cent) on such conditions, compared to nothing on softer or faster ground. Trainer Patrick J Flynn, based in Carrick-On-Suir in County Waterford, has found a winner with Surpass And Shine before, and the yard itself is performing well this season with eight winners sent out. For a horse that has shown real chemistry with one jockey and demonstrated an ability to win at solid tracks, there is still something to work with here — the challenge now is recapturing that form from a year and a half ago.