T M Walsh

The numbers this season are honest rather than flashy: 6 winners from 73 runners, which works out at roughly 1 in every 12 races. That's down from last year's rate of around 1 in every 8, so there's been a dip, and Walsh will know it. But context matters here. Small yards can swing several percentage points on the back of a handful of results, and the underlying signs are more encouraging than the headline figure suggests.

Two areas stand out. First, Fairyhouse. Walsh has sent out 3 winners from just 9 runners there — that's 1 in every 3, a return that any trainer in the country would be proud of. When Walsh travels to Fairyhouse, it's worth paying attention. Second, wet ground. On a heavy, rain-soaked surface, Walsh's runners have won 4 times from 16 races — exactly 1 in every 4. That's a 25% win rate, more than three times the season average, which tells you Walsh knows how to prepare a horse for difficult conditions and isn't afraid to run them when the ground gets testing.

The most regular jockey in the saddle is Shane O'Callaghan, who has partnered Walsh's horses to 2 wins from 23 rides together. That's a modest 1 in every 11 races as a combination, but regular partnerships matter in racing — the more a jockey knows a yard's horses, the better placed they are to get the best out of them. The horse Walsh has run most often is Sakakawea, though their 13 races together have produced just the 1 win so far.

Thirty-five winners in four years won't turn heads at the biggest yards in Ireland, but Walsh is operating in competitive space and carving out genuine strengths. A trainer who wins 1 in 3 at a specific track and 1 in 4 on wet ground isn't doing so by accident. The foundation is there.