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Kevin Michael Smith

Four years into his training career, Kevin Michael Smith is still building — but there are signs the foundations are starting to take shape. Since setting up in 2021, he has been learning his trade at the sharp end, and while the numbers are modest, the direction of travel is encouraging. This season he has sent out 5 winners from 81 runners, which works out at roughly 1 in every 16 — up from 1 in 20 last year. That might not sound dramatic, but in a sport where margins are everything, a consistent upward tick matters.Based on TrackLab's AI analysis
Quick Facts
Role
Trainer
Based
Kilmessan, Co Meath
Record
5 wins from 81 races
Win rate
6.2%
Top jockey
Best course
Dundalk (7.1% from 28 races)
Best going
Good to yielding

📊 Key Numbers

A snapshot of this trainer's performance over the last 12 months
81
Races
5
Wins
6.2%
Win rate
avg ~10%
22.2%
Place rate (top 3)
avg ~30%

🔍 Full Analysis

TrackLab's AI-generated assessment based on career data and recent form
TrackLab's Trainer Breakdown
Auto-Generated

The most telling partnership in his yard right now is with jockey Wesley Joyce. Between them they have managed 3 wins from 27 rides together — that's about 1 in every 9, or an 11% win rate, which comfortably outperforms Smith's overall yard average. When a trainer finds a jockey who genuinely understands how his horses run, it shows up in the results, and Joyce appears to be that person for Smith at the moment.

One detail that stands out in the data is how Smith's horses perform on slightly soft, wetter ground — 2 wins from just 7 races in those conditions, which is a win rate of 29%, or roughly 1 in every 3.5. That is a striking number. It suggests Smith either has horses in his yard that naturally handle a bit of cut in the ground, or that he is getting sharper at picking the right days to run them. Either way, it is worth watching when the weather turns.

The partnership with Spirit Above is the one that has not clicked yet — four races together without a win. That does not tell us much on its own, and plenty of trainer-horse combinations take time to find their moment. At this stage in Smith's career, patience and persistence are probably the two most important tools in his box. The improvement is real, the Joyce partnership is a genuine asset, and the wet-ground record hints at a trainer who is starting to understand what he has. The next step is turning that into more winners.

📈 Form Trend

How this trainer's win rate has changed month by month
Monthly win rate
2025–2026
0%
Apr
9.1%
May
0%
Jun
0%
Jul
10%
Aug
6.2%
Sep
0%
Oct
40%
Nov
0%
Dec
0%
Jan
0%
Feb
0%
Mar

🎯 Where This Trainer Thrives

Performance broken down by ground, class, and track type
🌧 Ground Conditions
Good to yielding
Loves
Standard (all-weather)
Good (firm-ish)
Ok
Yielding to soft
Heavy (very wet)
Good to firm
Soft (muddy)
Avoids
Yielding
Avoids
🏟 Track Shape
Right-handed, tight turning
Loves
Right-handed, undulating
Loves
Left-handed, wide and galloping
Ok
Right-handed, wide and galloping
Avoids
Right-handed, tight
Avoids
Left-handed, tight turning
Avoids

🏇 Jockey Partnerships

The riders they work with most, sorted by rides together
Wesley Joyce First Choice
11.1%
Win rate
3/27
Won / Rode
16.7%
Win rate
2/12
Won / Rode
Patrick McGettigan
0%
Win rate
0/9
Won / Rode
James Smith
0%
Win rate
0/7
Won / Rode
Rory Mulligan
0%
Win rate
0/6
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/3
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/3
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
Julian Pietropaolo(7)
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
Caragh Monaghan
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode
0%
Win rate
0/1
Won / Rode

Top Horses

The strongest horses currently associated with this trainer
Form: 7-7
Form: -70656
Form: 768
Form: 580/
Form: 700930
Form: 60-000
Form: 615-43
Form: 194716
Form: 360103

🏟 Course Record

Win rate at each course, sorted by number of races
CourseRacesWinsWin rate
Dundalk 28 2 7.1%
The Curragh 9 0 0%
Down Royal 8 0 0%
Galway 6 0 0%
Roscommon 4 1 25%
Gowran Park 4 1 25%
Bellewstown 3 0 0%
Naas 3 0 0%
Navan 2 0 0%
Downpatrick 2 0 0%
Leopardstown 2 0 0%
Cork 2 0 0%
Kilbeggan 2 0 0%
Sligo 1 1 100%
Limerick 1 0 0%
Punchestown 1 0 0%
Tipperary 1 0 0%
Ballinrobe 1 0 0%
Clonmel 1 0 0%

📅 Recent Results

The last 20 results, most recent first
22 Mar
Naas · 7f – 1m · Soft
7th
22 Mar
Naas · 5f – 6½f · Soft
8th
15 Mar
The Curragh · 5f – 6½f · Heavy
27 Feb
Dundalk · 7f – 1m · Standard
20 Feb
Dundalk · 1m3f – 1m4f · Standard
2nd
20 Feb
Dundalk · 1m1f – 1m2f · Standard
8th
13 Feb
Dundalk · 1m3f – 1m4f · Standard
3rd
11 Feb
Dundalk · 7f – 1m · Standard
6th
11 Feb
Dundalk · 5f – 6½f · Standard
7th
30 Jan
Dundalk · 1m3f – 1m4f · Standard
4th
23 Jan
Dundalk · 7f – 1m · Standard
23 Jan
Dundalk · 7f – 1m · Standard
7th
19 Dec
Dundalk · 5f – 6½f · Standard
13th
19 Dec
Dundalk · 5f – 6½f · Standard
7th
10 Dec
Dundalk · 5f – 6½f · Standard
4th
10 Dec
Dundalk · 1m3f – 1m4f · Standard
5th
28 Nov
Dundalk · 5f – 6½f · Standard
2nd
26 Nov
Dundalk · 1m1f – 1m2f · Standard
Won
19 Nov
Dundalk · 1m3f – 1m4f · Standard
Won
19 Nov
Dundalk · 7f – 1m · Standard
12th