Dutch Schultz

The last victory came at Killarney in August 2024, which is now nearly two years ago, and the six races since have brought nothing better than a fifth place. That's the honest reality of where things stand right now. At nine years old, Dutch Schultz is firmly in the veteran stage, and getting that next win isn't going to get easier with time.

What's interesting is where this horse tends to perform best. On wet or muddy ground, the record sharpens noticeably — 2 wins from 9 races, which is roughly 1 in every 4.5 outings. That's more than double the overall rate, and it's the kind of stat that makes a trainer's ears prick up when the forecast turns grey. At distances between a mile and six furlongs and two miles, the record is 1 win from 5 races, a 1-in-5 ratio that again hints at a horse that has a profile, a set of conditions it genuinely suits.

Jockey Keith Donoghue has been the regular partner, riding Dutch Schultz 16 times and winning twice — a win rate of about 1 in 8, or 12%. That's a long-standing working relationship by any measure, and there's clearly a familiarity there worth something. The yard behind all of this is Gavin Cromwell's operation in Navan, Co. Meath, which has been in excellent form this season with 103 winners sent out — a genuinely productive yard that knows what it's doing.

Dutch Schultz raced just yesterday, so this is a horse very much in active service. Whether another win comes depends on finding those soft ground conditions and the right distance. The ingredients are known. It's just a question of everything arriving on the same day.