Better Times
Better Times is a 6-year-old with a modest record on paper — one win and two places from 10 races, which works out at winning roughly 1 in every 10 — but the numbers don't always capture the full picture of a horse that has clearly been finding its feet. That sole victory came at Downpatrick on 29 March 2026, and it matters more than it might look at first glance: getting off the mark at any point is a genuine milestone, and it arrived after the horse had shown enough in previous runs to suggest it belonged at this level.Based on TrackLab's AI analysis
📊 Key Numbers
Career statistics for this horse
20%
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. Reading right to left — which is how you track a horse's journey — Better Times finished fifth, then seventh, then won, then had a couple of unplaced runs before finishing fourth in its most recent outing just yesterday. That fourth place, coming a full seven weeks after the Downpatrick win, suggests the horse is running consistently without quite recapturing that winning moment. Whether it can is the question worth watching.
The trainer is S G Carey, operating out of Kilcullen in County Kildare, and the yard has sent out 8 winners already this season — a solid return that tells you this is a team that knows how to get a horse ready to win. Better Times represents exactly the kind of project a competent yard builds quietly: a horse that took time to break its duck but has now shown it can do it. The job now is repeating it.
⚡ Strengths & Risks
What the data says works for and against this horse
⚠ What to watch out for
⚠ Poor record on yielding ground: 0 wins from 3 starts
🎯 Where This Horse Thrives
Performance broken down by ground, distance, class, and track type
🌧 Ground Conditions
Good to yielding (mild give)
Unknown
Soft to heavy (wet)
Unknown
Yielding to soft (damp)
Unknown
Yielding (slightly soft)
Avoids
📏 Race Distance
Long Distance (2M+)
Likes
🏟 Track Shape
Right-handed, hilly
Loves
Left-handed, long straights
Unknown
Right-handed, long straights
Unknown
Right-handed, tight turns
Unknown
Right-handed, tight
Unknown
📅 Recent Runs
The last 10 races, most recent first
15 May
4th
Kilbeggan
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 17 runners
29 Apr
DNF
Punchestown
Long Distance (2m+) · Yielding · 28 runners
14 Apr
4th
Clonmel
Long Distance (2m+) · Yielding · 15 runners
29 Mar
🏆 Won
Downpatrick
Long Distance (2m+) · Yielding_To_Soft · 11 runners
2 Mar
7th
Leopardstown
Long Distance (2m+) · Soft_To_Heavy · 21 runners
5 Feb
5th
Thurles
Long Distance (2m+) · Soft · 15 runners
1 Jan
5th
Fairyhouse
Long Distance (2m+) · Yielding · 19 runners
27 Nov
15th
Thurles
Long Distance (2m+) · Good_To_Yielding · 17 runners
23 May
4th
Downpatrick
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 10 runners
8 May
4th
Tipperary
Long Distance (2m+) · Good_To_Yielding · 13 runners
🏇 Jockey Partnerships
Every jockey who has ridden this horse, sorted by rides together
Michael Kenneally Current Jockey
🏟 Track Record
Win rate at each course this horse has visited
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|
| Downpatrick Undulating |
2 |
1 win, 1 other |
29 Mar |
50% |
| Thurles Undulating |
2 |
2 other |
5 Feb |
0% |
| Leopardstown Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
2 Mar |
0% |
| Fairyhouse Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
1 Jan |
0% |
| Kilbeggan Tight |
1 |
1 other |
15 May |
0% |
| Tipperary Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
8 May |
0% |
| Punchestown Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
29 Apr |
0% |
| Clonmel Sharp |
1 |
1 other |
14 Apr |
0% |