Toll Stone

The profile has a nice shape to it. The first win came at Fairyhouse in February 2024, and then the second arrived at Galway in August of the same year, which is one of the most atmospheric and well-attended festivals in the Irish racing calendar. Winning there means something. That said, it was 21 months ago now, and Toll Stone has gone six races without troubling the judge since — a run that will be testing the patience of everyone at the yard.

The most recent six runs read 3-2-11-5-7-2, which is a mixed picture. That 11th place is an outlier among some decent placed efforts, and a second and a third in recent runs show the horse is still competing at a reasonable level without quite being able to land the blow. Horses that keep placing without winning can be genuinely frustrating to follow, but they also have a habit of eventually putting a race together when the moment is right.

Donagh Meyler rides Toll Stone most often, and the pair have won 1 of their 5 races together — a 20% win rate that is actually stronger than Toll Stone's overall record. That is worth noting. Trained by Emmet Mullins out of Bagenalstown in County Carlow, the horse is in capable hands. Mullins has sent out 31 winners already this season, which tells you this is a yard that knows how to get horses to win. When they have a horse in form, they tend to know when to run it.

The question hanging over Toll Stone right now is whether another win is coming. The placed efforts suggest it is not outclassed, and the Galway win shows it can handle a big occasion. For a horse that wins roughly 1 in 9 races, patience is part of the deal — but 21 months is a long time to wait.