Walhaan

That track is Dundalk. Walhaan has raced there 19 times and won four of them, making it comfortably his happiest hunting ground. For context, his overall win rate across 58 races sits at around 1 in 10 — six wins in total. But narrow the focus to Dundalk and that rises sharply, which tells you this isn't just a horse who occasionally gets lucky. There's something about that course, almost certainly the all-weather surface and its flat, consistent layout, that brings out the best in him. His most recent win came there as recently as December 2025, suggesting the spark is still there even at this stage of his career.

The broader picture shows a horse with clear likes and dislikes. On normal ground he wins at a rate of roughly 1 in 5 — four wins from 21 races at 19% — a number that stands well above his career average and signals that conditions really do matter for him. Similarly, he hits his best form over a mile and three to a mile and four furlongs, winning 4 of his 16 races at those distances, or one in four. That's a meaningful pattern. When everything aligns — the right track, the right ground, the right trip — Walhaan is a genuine contender.

His trainer Ciaran Murphy, whose yard has sent out 18 winners already this season, has spoken warmly about Walhaan's learning curve and ability to perform when conditions suit. After his first Irish win at Leopardstown in March 2023, Murphy was clear that the horse had improved since his previous run and that the race had been targeted deliberately — high praise for a horse who had taken time to find his feet under rules. His regular partner, jockey E Walsh, has ridden him 15 times for that one win together, which reflects more on the competitive level he faces than any particular weakness.

He hasn't won in his last six outings, and his recent form is patchy, but Walhaan raced just yesterday and remains active. At 58 races and still going, he's the kind of horse that simply refuses to be written off — particularly when Dundalk comes up on the schedule.