Ellaat

The conditions that unlock him are very specific: get him out on genuinely wet, muddy ground and he transforms. In 6 races on that kind of surface, he has won 2 of them — a win rate of 33%, or 1 in every 3. That is a dramatic contrast to his overall record, and it is exactly the kind of thing that matters when deciding whether to follow a horse. When the rain has been falling and the ground is soft underfoot, Ellaat is a different animal.

His most recent win came at Clonmel on 27 February 2025 — so it has been about 14 months since he last got to the front. His last six runs read 3-7-8-11-4-16 from most recent back, meaning a third-place finish is the best he has managed in that spell. He is not winning races right now, and at ten years old, those big performances may be coming less frequently. But he raced just one day ago, so the team clearly still believe there is something left in him.

Philip Byrnes, who rides him most regularly, has won 1 from 5 aboard him — that is 20%, or 1 in every 5, which is actually a reasonable return given the horse's overall numbers. Trainer Charles Coakley has sent out 2 winners this season, so it is a small, quiet operation rather than a high-volume yard. Ellaat tends to be aimed at middle distances — around a mile and three or four furlongs — and has won 1 from 5 at those trips. He has been tried at a higher level a handful of times and not managed a win there.

The honest summary is this: Ellaat is a veteran horse with a clear profile. He needs the mud, he needs the right distance, and patience. When those things come together — as they did at Clonmel in February last year — he is capable. Most days, though, he makes up the numbers.