Daboya

The career arc has a clear shape to it. Daboya took until November 2024 to get off the mark, breaking through at Dundalk before adding another win at Thurles in November 2025. That Thurles win, now six months ago, is the most recent, and with a race just yesterday, the team clearly believes there is more to come. Trainer R Donohoe has sent out 6 winners already this season, so this is a yard in decent form rather than one sending horses out in hope.

What stands out most is how Daboya performs over longer trips. In races run over two miles or more, the record reads 1 win from 3 races — winning a third of the time at those distances. That is a notably better return than the overall career average, and it tells you something important: this is a horse that benefits from being asked a real question. The longer the race, the more opportunity there is to grind opponents down, and that appears to suit Daboya's particular style. If you were to place a bet, the instinct would be to wait for a longer race rather than back it blindly every time out.

The recent form — finishing fifth, thirteenth, first, fifth, sixth, and fourth across the last six runs — is a little patchy, that thirteenth a real low point. But sandwiched inside it is that Thurles victory, proof that the spark is still there. Horses who win 3 from 18 are not superstars, but they are competitive animals who know how to find the line when conditions suit. Daboya is very much still a horse to keep an eye on, particularly when a longer trip appears on the racecard.