Kalypso'chance

He is trained by Gordon Elliott at Longwood in County Meath, and it would be hard to find a better yard to be associated with right now. Elliott's team has sent out 209 winners this season alone — a number that reflects an operation running at the very top of Irish racing. Elliott has been openly enthusiastic about Kalypso'chance, describing him as "a very good horse" and highlighting how well he has been schooling at home. After his Navan win, Elliott noted that the horse "quickened really well" — the kind of finishing speed that tends to separate the smart ones from the rest. Jockey Patrick Mullins, who has ridden him more than once, called him "a fair horse", which in the understated language of racing is about as close to a compliment as you tend to get.

His recent form reads: 3rd, pulled up, 4th, 1st, 2nd, 6th from his last six races. That pulled-up run sits in the middle of the sequence and might look alarming to an outsider, but Elliott was relaxed about the blips at Cheltenham and Punchestown, saying he would not read too much into those efforts. The horse's earlier Punchestown win — his first ever, back in November 2024 — told its own story: Elliott noted afterwards that Kalypso'chance dropped his head and galloped all the way to the line when he looked flat out, which suggests a horse with real guts and a willing attitude.

Last raced 25 days ago and still active this season, the next logical step Elliott flagged was a potential run at Leopardstown — a significant track, a bigger stage. For a horse who seems to thrive on familiarity and rewards the people who believe in him, that would be quite the occasion to watch.