Ira Hayes

That recent Tramore win was the third of the career, and the momentum looks real. Cast an eye over the last six runs — a win, a second place, then an 11th, a missed run, a third, and a fourth — and you get a picture of a horse that has its bad days like anyone else, but has been knocking on the door consistently enough to reward patience. The first win came at Wexford back in October 2024, so this is a horse that took time to get going but has found its feet as a seven-year-old.

John C McConnell trains out of Stamullen in County Meath, and his yard has sent out 38 winners already this season — that is a yard firing on all cylinders, and Ira Hayes appears to be one of the horses carrying that momentum. One slightly curious thread in the story is the partnership with jockey Alex Harvey, who has ridden the horse in 7 of its 14 races without a single win between them. That is not a crisis, but it is a quirk worth noting — the three wins have all come without Harvey in the saddle. Whether that is coincidence or something the team keeps an eye on, only they will know.

What this profile adds up to is a horse that is currently in the best form of its career, with an active and confident yard behind it. Three wins from 14 races does not sound like headline news, but when the most recent win was three weeks ago and the horse ran again yesterday, you are looking at something that is genuinely in the thick of things right now.