Goodie Girl

At Downpatrick, Goodie Girl is close to unbeatable. Two wins from just 3 races there is a remarkable return — for context, most horses race at a course a dozen times without ever winning there once. She opened her account at Downpatrick back in June 2023, and returned to do it again in May 2025. There is something about that track that clearly suits her, whether the layout, the undulations, or the way it rides. Trainers and jockeys notice these things, and so does anyone who has followed her career.

She is trained by Dermot McLoughlin, who operates out of Bodeen in Ratoath, County Meath. The yard has sent out 10 winners already this season, so this is not a quiet backwater operation — horses leave there ready to run. Patrick O'Brien rides her most often and the partnership works: together they have won 2 from 8 races, a win rate of 25%, which is 1 in every 4 rides — meaningfully better than her overall career average.

Ground conditions matter too. On normal ground, Goodie Girl has won 2 of just 4 races — a 50% win rate that suggests she is at her very best when the track is neither waterlogged nor baked hard. Put her on standard going at Downpatrick and you are looking at close to ideal conditions for this horse.

She raced just one day ago, so she is very much in training and active right now. Her recent form shows a win sandwiched between some quieter runs, but given what she has shown at Downpatrick and what the yard is capable of this season, it would be unwise to write her off. She is the kind of horse who does not always announce herself — until she does, usually at the same postcode, in the same conditions, doing exactly what she has done before.