Lisnamult Lad

The most telling entry on his record is a win at Cheltenham in October 2024. That is one of the most famous racecourses in the world, and it is not a place that forgives ordinary horses. His trainer Ian Donoghue, based at Clonalvy in County Meath, had to argue with the English handicapper to get him into the race on a favourable weight, but it paid off — and Donoghue made no secret of his satisfaction. Donoghue's yard has sent out 26 winners this season alone, so this is not a small operation running on sentiment.

The conditions that bring out the best in Lisnamult Lad are normal, standard ground — and the numbers back that up sharply. On those surfaces he has won 4 times from 11 races, a win rate of 36%, or just over 1 in every 3. That is remarkably consistent for a horse at this level. His jockey Ben Harvey knows him well: in six races together they have won 3, which works out to exactly half the time — a partnership that clearly clicks.

The Aintree run told a different story about what this horse is capable of. Hampered by a loose horse approaching the line, nudged off his rhythm at exactly the wrong moment, he still finished close enough that his rider was gutted it had not come off. "At the last I thought we had it," Harvey said — and the horse had earned that moment of belief. He was beaten, in the jockey's own words, by a class horse, not by a lack of effort or ability.

At Class 2 level — the upper tier of British racing — he has not yet won in three attempts, and his recent form over the last six races shows no win. But a horse that reached Cheltenham, won there, and nearly pulled off a famous result at Aintree is not in decline just yet. He raced only yesterday. Lisnamult Lad is still very much at it.