Lord Erskine

Over a career stretching to 51 races, Lord Erskine has won 8 times and finished in the places on 18 more occasions, giving him a win rate of roughly 1 in every 6 races. That's a solid, honest record for a horse of this type. He's been around long enough to know the job, and his first win came at Roscommon back in May 2022, so he's been a consistent part of the racing landscape for several years. The last six runs — finishing 8th, 10th, 11th, 4th, 9th, and 4th — suggest he's been running into better horses lately, though those two fourth-place finishes show the spark is still there.

The conditions that suit him best are worth noting. On wet or muddy ground, Lord Erskine has won 2 of just 4 races, a remarkable 50% win rate that puts him in a completely different category to his overall figures. Finding him on a rainy day at the right track could make all the difference. His preferred trip of around a mile and three to four furlongs gives him enough time to stretch his legs and use his experience, and he's picked up 1 win from 4 races at that distance — a 25% win rate that again outperforms his career average.

The partnership with jockey Siobhan Rutledge has been the most productive of his career. Together they've won 4 of their 16 races, a win rate of 1 in every 4, which is significantly better than Lord Erskine's record with anyone else. That kind of understanding between horse and rider tends to build over time, and the numbers suggest they bring out something in each other. Trainer H Rogers, based in Ardee, Co. Louth, has sent out 8 winners already this season, so this is a yard in form.

At 13, Lord Erskine is the kind of horse that earns genuine affection from racing fans — not flashy, not expensive, but dependable, durable, and still capable of finding the line when the conditions fall right.