La Fogata

The standout moment so far came at Punchestown on 16 September 2025, when La Fogata broke through for that first career win. Punchestown is a track with real character, and getting off the mark there gives the team at Ballyroe something concrete to build on. The win came over a trip between a mile and a furlong and a mile and two furlongs — and that's clearly where La Fogata is most comfortable. In three races at that distance, there's been one win from three attempts, a 33% win rate, or 1 in every 3 races. Compare that to the overall record and it's obvious: stretch the race out a little and this horse becomes a different proposition.

Trained by Donnacha Aidan O'Brien out of Ballyroe in Co Tipperary, La Fogata is in a yard that has sent out 30 winners this season alone — a busy, productive operation that clearly knows how to place a horse. The recent form reads 2-8-1-4-4, which shows that second place last time out, and a win tucked in the middle of the sequence. The fact that La Fogata raced just one day ago tells you this is an active, fit horse right in the middle of its campaign.

At three years old, there's still plenty of development ahead. The distance preference is already clear, the winning form at Punchestown is on the board, and the yard is in good nick. The pieces are in place for more to come.