Frankie John

His two wins tell an interesting story on their own. The first came at Galway in July 2025, one of Ireland's most atmospheric and well-attended summer festivals — not the easiest place to break your duck. Then, five months later, he went and won at Leopardstown on St Stephen's Day, one of the most competitive holiday fixtures in the Irish racing calendar. These aren't quiet backwater tracks on quiet afternoons. Frankie John has won at two of the most high-profile venues in Irish racing, which says something about his temperament as much as his ability.

He is trained by Denis Gerard Hogan, who operates out of Cloughjordan in County Tipperary. The yard has been in sharp form, sending out 56 winners already this season — that is a training operation firing on all cylinders, and Frankie John is part of a string that clearly knows how to peak at the right moment. His recent run of form — two mid-pack finishes followed by that December win — suggests he may be a horse who needs things to fall just right, but when they do, he delivers.

That Leopardstown win came four months ago, and his most recent runs since have been fourth and fifth place finishes. He hasn't been disgracing himself, but he hasn't threatened to win either. The question now is whether he can rediscover the form that made him competitive at one of Ireland's premier tracks. With a yard in such good health around him, the opportunity is clearly there.