Inis Oirr

Inis Oirr has won twice at Musselburgh, both times in one of the top races in Britain, and both times on the 4th of February — a year apart, in 2023 and 2024. That is an almost absurd level of specificity. Winning two Class 2 races at the same track in back-to-back years is the kind of thing that makes people sit up and ask questions. It is not a fluke; it is a pattern. Of seven races at the course, two have been wins, which means Inis Oirr is successful there almost 1 in every 3 and a half visits — a dramatically better return than the 1 in 10 average across its whole career. Some horses simply love a particular track, and this one loves Musselburgh.

The most interesting recent development is a tactical shift. The team experimented with how Inis Oirr is ridden at Carlisle — pulling back from the front rather than being sent out to lead — and by their own account it worked wonders. The suggestion is that the horse had been getting a bit sour being pushed to the front all the time. Give a horse a chance to race on its own terms and sometimes it rediscovers itself. That seems to be exactly what has happened: Inis Oirr won at Perth just three weeks ago, and with recent form showing a second and a first from its last two races, it is clearly in the form of its life right now.

Regular jockey Derek Fox has been in the saddle for 21 of those 29 races, winning twice — the same 1-in-10 rate as the overall career record, but that Musselburgh double came with him aboard. The yard is reportedly eyeing up the Edinburgh National, a race that suits a horse who performs best going right-handed. At nine years old, with its best racing apparently still happening, Inis Oirr remains one to watch.