What makes The Highway Rat worth watching is that he has a genuine home ground. At Navan, he wins races. He has won 2 of his 4 runs there, a conversion rate of 50 percent—the kind of record that suggests the track suits something fundamental about how he runs. His most recent win came at Navan on 17 May 2025, but that was 17 months ago now, and he has not won since, going through his last 6 races without a breakthrough. When he does get to normal ground conditions, he picks up wins at a rate of roughly 1 in 6 races, which is the best win rate of any surface he runs on.
Trainer A Oliver, based at Caledon in Co Tyrone, has kept the horse racing consistently into his eighth year. When jockey W J Lee rides him—which happens regularly—the horse improves noticeably, winning 3 of 11 races together, a 27 percent win rate that suggests a strong partnership. Oliver has form: his yard sent out 18 winners this season alone. According to the trainer, The Highway Rat came out of a run at Naas feeling jarred earlier this year but has had time to recover and looks fresher than he has in months. The plan was to bring him back at Navan, but Oliver decided instead to aim straight for a sprint race at the Curragh, suggesting he sees something worth chasing in this old, familiar horse.
| Course | Races | Results | Last run | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Curragh Galloping |
15 | 1 second, 1 third, 13 other | 15 Oct | 0% |
| Dundalk Galloping |
11 | 2 wins, 2 seconds, 3 thirds, 4 other | 2 Oct | 18.2% |
| Navan Galloping |
4 | 2 wins, 1 second, 1 third | 7 Jun | 50% |
| Naas Galloping |
3 | 3 other | 28 Apr | 0% |
| Tipperary Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 26 Aug | 0% |
| Cork Galloping |
1 | 1 third | 30 Mar | 0% |