Syosset

That one win came at Dundalk on 14 November 2025, and it was no fluke of distance. Syosset has raced four times over longer trips of a mile and six furlongs to two miles, and has won one of those four races — a 25% win rate at those distances that stands in sharp contrast to its overall numbers. That is what trainers mean when they talk about finding the right conditions for a horse. Over shorter distances Syosset has looked ordinary; at a genuine staying trip, it looks a different animal altogether.

The recent form tells a story of a horse finding its way back. Reading from most recent to oldest, those last six results — third, seventh, third, first, tenth, ninth — show a horse that was well beaten in its first attempts this season, then hit its peak with that Dundalk win, and has since been knocking on the door with two thirds. It raced just one day ago, so this is a horse in the middle of its campaign, not winding down.

Behind Syosset is John C McConnell's yard in Stamullen, County Meath — a team that has sent out 36 winners already this season, which speaks to a busy and productive operation. McConnell clearly knows how to place horses to win, and the fact that Syosset's one victory came at Dundalk is worth noting: that all-weather track in Louth operates year-round and rewards horses that have been patiently placed by a trainer who understands their needs.

Syosset is not a horse that grabs headlines, but it is exactly the kind of horse that makes racing genuinely compelling for anyone who follows it closely. One win from 12 races sounds like underachievement until you realise that over the right distance, it wins one in every four. The task now is simple: get it back to a mile and six or beyond, preferably at Dundalk, and it becomes a very different proposition.