Ballysax Hank

The big moment came on 19 July 2025 at Market Rasen, when Ballysax Hank landed the Summer Plate — a Class 1 race, meaning one of the most valuable and competitive races in Britain. It nearly didn't go smoothly: jockey Harry Cobden, who only got the call-up on the Tuesday while standing in a cattle market, admitted there was a split second where he thought he might part company with the horse. He didn't, Ballysax Hank relaxed into his rhythm, winged the final fence, and pulled clear. That kind of performance at that level of race tells you a lot about a horse's ceiling.

His numbers on different types of ground are genuinely striking. On slightly soft underfoot conditions — ground that's had a touch of rain but isn't properly muddy — he has won 2 of just 3 races, a two-in-three record that is about as good as it gets in this sport. On normal ground he wins roughly 2 in every 7 races (29%), which is comfortably above average. The picture that emerges is of a horse who handles variation well but really sparks on a surface with a bit of give in it. His jockey at Gowran Park, where he won in September 2025, noted that the race turned into a stamina test on the hill — and Ballysax Hank simply hit the line harder than anything else.

Trainer Gavin Cromwell, based at Navan in County Meath and one of the busiest yards in Ireland this season with 98 winners on the board, has given the horse a break since that autumn run and is clearly mapping out an ambitious winter. The Paddy Power at Christmas is the name being floated — a high-profile, competitive race that would suit a horse who has already shown he can step up on the big days. Ballysax Hank has won 2 of his last 6 races, and after a recent run just yesterday, the campaign is very much live.