A Year Older
There is something quietly poetic about a horse called A Year Older finally winning on New Year's Day. After nine races without a victory, this eight-year-old made the long wait worthwhile at Fairyhouse on the 1st of January 2026, and the timing could hardly have been scripted better. One win and two places from ten races overall tells you this is not a horse that wins often — that is just 1 in every 10 races — but it does suggest a horse that is competitive enough to be thereabouts when conditions suit.Based on TrackLab's AI analysis
📊 Key Numbers
Career statistics for this horse
27.3%
Place rate (top 3)
avg ~30%
🔍 Full Analysis
TrackLab's AI-generated assessment based on career data and recent form
The recent form makes for interesting reading. That New Year's Day breakthrough came sandwiched between some tougher outings, with finishes of eighth and ninth on either side of it, and the most recent run just a day ago means A Year Older is very much still in the thick of things. Karl Thornton, who trains the horse from his yard in Skerries, Co Dublin, has had four winners on the board this season, so there is clearly life in the operation. Thornton will be hoping to find the right race to build on that January win.
The one slightly puzzling detail in the record is the partnership with jockey Donagh Meyler. Five races together and no wins is not a crisis, but it does mean the pair are still waiting for their moment. Whether Thornton sticks with Meyler or tries something different next time out will be worth watching. A Year Older has shown it can win — the job now is proving that Fairyhouse on New Year's Day was a sign of things to come, not just a happy accident.
⚡ Strengths & Risks
What the data says works for and against this horse
✓ What works in their favour
✔ Excellent record on yielding ground: 1 wins from 3 starts (33%)
🎯 Where This Horse Thrives
Performance broken down by ground, distance, class, and track type
🌧 Ground Conditions
Yielding (slightly soft)
Loves
Good to yielding (mild give)
Unknown
📏 Race Distance
Long Distance (2M+)
Likes
🏟 Track Shape
Right-handed, long straights
Loves
Right-handed, tight
Unknown
Left-handed, tight turns
Unknown
Right-handed, hilly
Unknown
Left-handed, long straights
Unknown
📅 Recent Runs
The last 10 races, most recent first
21 May
🏆 Won
Limerick
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 14 runners
12 Apr
DNF
Down Royal
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 18 runners
1 Jan
🏆 Won
Fairyhouse
Long Distance (2m+) · Yielding · 18 runners
13 Mar
8th
Limerick
Long Distance (2m+) · Yielding · 21 runners
15 Dec
DNF
Navan
Long Distance (2m+) · Yielding · 12 runners
12 Nov
9th
Fairyhouse
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 14 runners
20 Oct
12th
Limerick
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 21 runners
4 Oct
11th
Gowran Park
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 16 runners
23 Aug
12th
Kilbeggan
Long Distance (2m+) · Good_To_Yielding · 17 runners
8 Jun
5th
Punchestown
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 6 runners
🏇 Jockey Partnerships
Every jockey who has ridden this horse, sorted by rides together
🏟 Track Record
Win rate at each course this horse has visited
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|
| Limerick Galloping |
3 |
1 win, 2 other |
21 May |
33.3% |
| Fairyhouse Galloping |
2 |
1 win, 1 other |
1 Jan |
50% |
| Kilbeggan Tight |
1 |
1 other |
23 Aug |
0% |
| Gowran Park Undulating |
1 |
1 other |
4 Oct |
0% |
| Bellewstown Sharp |
1 |
1 other |
24 Apr |
0% |
| Navan Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
15 Dec |
0% |
| Down Royal Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
12 Apr |
0% |
| Punchestown Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
8 Jun |
0% |