The most telling detail in the whole operation is the partnership with jockey Gavin Brouder. Twenty-four rides together and not a single win between them. That is not a run of bad luck — that is a combination that simply has not clicked, and at some point both parties might reasonably wonder whether a change would do them good.
There is, at least, one genuinely interesting thread to pull on. The association with General Clermont has produced 3 wins from 39 races together, which tells you this is a horse the yard understands and has gotten the best from over time. Three wins from 39 might not sound spectacular, but in a yard that has managed just 1 winner from 44 runners this season, a single horse accounting for multiple career victories is the clearest sign that Fitzgerald can get a result when conditions are right. Normal ground also seems to suit the yard: 6% of races on a standard surface have ended in victory, compared to the overall 2% average. That is a small sample, but it is the one bright spot in the data.
Four years in, the honest picture is of a small trainer still looking for consistency. One good season does not make a career, but neither does one poor one break it. The question for Fitzgerald is whether the lessons from a tough 2025 can be turned into something more sustained when next season comes around.
| Course | Races | Wins | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limerick | 5 | 0 | 0% |
| Kilbeggan | 5 | 0 | 0% |
| Sligo | 5 | 0 | 0% |
| Punchestown | 4 | 0 | 0% |
| Tramore | 4 | 0 | 0% |
| Cork | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| Tipperary | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| Ballinrobe | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| Fairyhouse | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Clonmel | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Killarney | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Navan | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Thurles | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Bellewstown | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Galway | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Listowel | 1 | 0 | 0% |