Clonakilty

His best distance appears to be somewhere in the 1m6f to 2m range, where he has won 1 from 4 races — a 25% win rate that puts him clearly ahead of his overall average. That might not sound dramatic, but in racing terms it is a meaningful signal: find the right trip, and this horse becomes a different proposition.

Sean Bowen, one of the better jump jockeys in the sport, has ridden Clonakilty ten times and won twice — winning 2 in every 10 together, or 20%. That is a noticeably better return than Clonakilty's overall record, and the pair clearly have some understanding.

The wait for another win is growing, though. His last victory came at Southwell in April 2024, over 25 months ago now, and his recent form reads as patchy at best — a second and a third among the highlights, but also an unseated or fall buried in there, and an eleventh place. His first win came at Uttoxeter back in December 2022, and trainer Lizzie Quinlan, who operates out of Bolton Mill in Cumbria and has sent out four winners already this season, has hinted that the horse probably lost his way somewhat after a promising start. Her thinking at one point was to give him a confidence-boosting run over hurdles before switching him to fences — a sign that the team sees more in him than his results have recently shown, and that they have been patient in finding the right path forward.

Whether Clonakilty can rediscover that early promise at nine is the open question. Horses can surprise you at this age, particularly when a good trainer believes there is still something to unlock. For now, he remains active, placed more often than beaten out of sight, and clearly not done yet.