Unterberg

The overall numbers back up just how good Unterberg has been lately. Across 30 career races it has won 7, which works out at roughly 1 in every 4 — a solid record by any measure. But zoom in on the last six runs and the picture sharpens considerably: 3 wins from 6, including back-to-back victories. The recent form reads 12-1-1-1-5-7, which means after a couple of quiet efforts, Unterberg has rattled off three wins in a row. Horses in that kind of rhythm are the ones to watch.

The trainer behind all this is Laura Hourigan, based at Patrickswell in County Limerick. Her yard has sent out 6 winners already this season, and Unterberg is clearly one of the yard's key performers. Jockey Rory Mulligan has been a big part of the story too — when he and Unterberg line up together, they win 2 from every 5 races, a 40% win rate that any partnership in the sport would be proud of.

What really makes Unterberg tick is straightforward to pin down. Give it normal ground conditions and a trip somewhere between a mile and six furlongs and two miles, and the horse is in its element. On normal ground it wins half the time — 6 wins from 12 races. Step it up to that longer distance range and it wins 4 from 7, or 57% of the time. These are the conditions that bring out the best in it, and Dundalk, where it first won back in December 2023, remains the place where everything clicks. A horse that knows where it loves to run, is fit, in form, and racing regularly — that is a combination that tends to keep producing results.