Button Rock
Six years old, six races, zero wins — Button Rock has yet to get off the mark, but the most telling detail in that record isn't the blank scorecard, it's *why* it's blank.
Gordon Elliott, who trains the horse at his powerhouse yard in Longwood, Co Meath, watched Button Rock throw away a chance at Punchestown recently by racing far too keenly, burning through energy early that it needed later in the race. A horse that won't settle is essentially running with the handbrake on — it spends itself in the first half of the race and has nothing left when it matters. Elliott's read on it is straightforward: once Button Rock learns to relax and race within itself, the performances should improve significantly.
Based on TrackLab's AI analysis
📊 Key Numbers
Career statistics for this horse
0%
Place rate (top 3)
avg ~30%
🔍 Full Analysis
TrackLab's AI-generated assessment based on career data and recent form
That context matters, because Elliott isn't a trainer who wastes time on horses without potential. His yard has sent out 210 winners already this season — that's a genuinely extraordinary number, the kind of output that puts him among the most successful operations in Irish racing. When someone running a conveyor belt like that says a horse just needs to learn to settle, it's worth taking seriously. He's seen enough horses figure it out to know when the raw material is there.
The recent form figures — finishing 6th, 13th, 5th, 14th, 8th and 7th across its last six races — show a horse that occasionally flashes something (that 5th place is the one to notice) without ever putting it all together. Button Rock raced just yesterday, so it's very much a horse in active campaigning. Whether it finally clicks into gear may simply come down to the day it decides to switch off and race like a professional rather than a bundle of nerves.
🎯 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 (slightly soft)
Unknown
📏 Race Distance
Long Distance (2M+)
Unknown
🏟 Track Shape
Right-handed, tight turns
Unknown
Right-handed, long straights
Unknown
Left-handed, long straights
Unknown
📅 Recent Runs
The last 10 races, most recent first
12 May
6th
Sligo
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 19 runners
17 Mar
13th
Down Royal
Long Distance (2m+) · Yielding · 22 runners
2 Dec
5th
Clonmel
Long Distance (2m+) · Heavy · 15 runners
17 Nov
14th
Navan
Long Distance (2m+) · Soft_To_Heavy · 22 runners
6 Nov
8th
Clonmel
Long Distance (2m+) · Soft · 9 runners
14 Oct
7th
Punchestown
Long Distance (2m+) · Good_To_Yielding · 15 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 |
|---|
| Clonmel Sharp |
2 |
2 other |
2 Dec |
0% |
| Punchestown Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
14 Oct |
0% |
| Navan Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
17 Nov |
0% |
| Sligo Sharp |
1 |
1 other |
12 May |
0% |
| Down Royal Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
17 Mar |
0% |