Farmers Lodge

The most interesting thread to pull on here is Fairyhouse. Of the three tracks Farmers Lodge has visited in its career, that Co. Meath circuit has been the most fruitful — two wins from three visits, a record that goes well beyond coincidence. Some horses simply suit certain tracks, whether it is the shape of the bends, the camber of the ground, or something harder to pin down. Whatever the reason, Fairyhouse brings out the best in this horse, and the yard would be wise to keep coming back.

Barry Connell trains Farmers Lodge from his yard in Nurney, Co. Kildare, and the operation has been in good form this season — seven winners already sent out. A trainer running at that kind of tempo tends to have horses arriving at the track in the right shape, and Farmers Lodge fits that picture. The horse's first career win came at Fairyhouse in January 2024, and the most recent victory was at Punchestown on New Year's Eve 2024, meaning it signed off 2024 in the best possible way.

What is worth noting is that Farmers Lodge raced just one day ago, which makes this one of the more actively campaigned horses you will find. At ten years old, keeping a horse racing regularly and winning — three times in the last six outings — suggests both soundness and enthusiasm for the job. The only minor cloud is that the Punchestown win on 31 December 2024 sits 16 months back in the record, so the next victory is slightly overdue. But with recent form reading 7, pulled up, 1, 1, 4, 1 — three wins punctuated by a couple of off days — this is a horse that keeps showing up and keeps delivering when it matters.