Lark In The Mornin

The numbers tell an encouraging story. Four wins and eight places from 14 races means this horse has finished in the top three almost every time it has competed. That works out to a 29% win rate — winning roughly 3 in every 10 races — which is strong by any measure, and the recent run of form makes it even more striking: two wins from the last six outings, with a third-place finish in between. This is a horse currently operating near the top of its game.

Trainer Joseph Patrick O'Brien, based at Owning Hill in Co Kilkenny, spotted something special early. After a debut win at Listowel in September 2022, O'Brien described it as a smart performance at a track he considers genuinely tricky for a first run. That instinct has proved right. Listowel has become something of a home ground — two wins from three races there, including a victory as recently as September 2025. Winning two from three at any single track is the kind of record that suggests a real affinity for the place, not just good fortune. O'Brien's yard has sent out 160 winners this season alone, so being a horse that stands out within that operation means something.

The Cheltenham win came with a story attached. Significant rain fell overnight before the race, and the team had serious doubts about running — the strong belief was that Lark In The Mornin performs best on faster, drier ground. Jockey J J Slevin, who has partnered the horse in seven of its 14 races, threaded through to find the best strip of ground around the course and won with something to spare, the horse pricking its ears after the final jump — the equine equivalent of jogging through the finish line. It was a performance that confirmed the talent, even in conditions the team had hoped to avoid.

Slevin's overall record on the horse sits at one win from seven rides together, which on the face of it sounds modest, but that solitary win happened to be at Cheltenham. Sometimes one is enough.