The Dara Man

The honest truth is that winning hasn't come easily. Three wins from 47 races is a win rate of around 6%, or roughly 1 in every 16 races — well below what you'd call prolific. But he has placed 11 times on top of those wins, meaning he's finished in the frame on 14 occasions in total. He's more of a horse that keeps giving his rivals something to think about than one who simply blows them away.

His best results have come on normal ground — the kind of conditions you'd call a standard racing surface, not too wet, not too firm. On that type of going he's won 2 from 13 races, a rate of around 15%, or roughly 1 in 7. That's meaningfully better than his overall record, and it's the kind of stat that tells you there's a version of this horse worth backing when conditions suit. His most recent win came at Kilbeggan in August 2024, now 24 months ago, so that drought is growing. His last six runs read 6th, two pulls-up, 8th, 3rd, and another pull-up — not the form of a horse on an upward curve.

When Danny Mullins is in the saddle, however, the picture improves noticeably. The two have won together twice from 10 races — a 20% win rate, or 1 in every 5 — which is a significantly stronger return than the horse's overall record suggests he's capable of. That combination clearly brings something out in him, and it's the most interesting thread in his career. Whether there's one more win left in him at 11 is the question. He's still showing up, which is more than can be said for many.