Vaureal

Put Vaureal on wet, muddy ground and the whole picture changes. On soft ground, it has won 2 races from just 4 attempts — that's a 50% win rate, which is extraordinary. To put that in perspective, even the very best horses in the world rarely win half their races. What it tells you is that Vaureal isn't a great horse on all surfaces, but on the right surface, on the right day, it becomes a completely different animal.

The yard behind it is Ian Patrick Donoghue's operation out of Clonalvy in County Meath, which has been in fine form this season — 25 winners sent out already. Vaureal's regular partner in the saddle is jockey Caragh Monaghan, and together they've clicked, winning 1 from 5 races at a 20% win rate — better than the horse's overall average and worth noting. Their most recent win came at Fairyhouse on 30 November 2025, just four months ago.

Recent form shows a mixed picture: the last six runs read 2-4-5-7-1-10, which is the kind of sequence that tells you this horse blows hot and cold. A win, then a tenth-place finish, then a solid second — it keeps the yard guessing. But the fact that Vaureal raced just one day ago and is still active at seven years old suggests there's plenty of enthusiasm from the team to keep running it, and with soft ground never far away in the Irish winter and spring, another winning day may not be far off either.