Themanintheanorak

Trained by Eugene M O'Sullivan out of Lombardstown in County Cork, the horse only got off the mark relatively recently — a first career win at Listowel in June 2025. That's worth noting: some horses take time to figure things out, and Listowel in the summer is a proper racing festival with real atmosphere. Getting that first win there is no bad thing. O'Sullivan's yard has sent out four winners this season, and Themanintheanorak accounts for one of them — the most recent coming at Fairyhouse in February 2026, just three months ago.

Look at the recent form and the picture that emerges is of a horse that hit a rich vein. Two second-place finishes, then a win, then a first, then a gap, then a sixth — and raced again just yesterday. The back-to-back runner-up spots followed by a win at Fairyhouse suggest a horse that was knocking on the door before finally breaking through at a track that hosts some of Ireland's most significant racing. It hasn't all clicked since, but the horse is clearly still being kept busy, which tells you the O'Sullivan team believes there's more to come. When a trainer keeps a horse active and racing, it usually means they like what they're seeing at home.

Ten races in, two wins, and a name that will stick in your head long after you've forgotten the result — Themanintheanorak is exactly the kind of horse that makes following racing at the smaller tracks worthwhile.