Mickey The Steel

The most striking thing about Mickey The Steel is what happens when the weather turns nasty. On very wet, muddy ground, this horse has won 3 of just 10 races — a 30% win rate, or roughly 1 in every 3 outings. That is three times better than its overall record, and it is the kind of stat that makes a knowledgeable punter sit up straight when the forecast looks grim. In dry or normal conditions, Mickey The Steel is solid but ordinary. In the mud, it becomes a different animal entirely.

Trained by Joseph Anthony Murray at his yard in Navan, Co. Meath — a yard that has sent out 2 winners so far this season — the horse first won back in October 2022 at Dundalk, and picked up its most recent victory at Navan in October 2024, around 18 months ago. That gap without a win will concern anyone following the horse closely. The last 6 races have brought a run of finishes reading 2-3-3-4-2, which tells you Mickey The Steel is still placing, still competitive, still knocking on the door — but the winning touch has gone quiet.

Regular partner Wesley Joyce has ridden this horse 21 times and won together just once — a win rate of around 1 in every 21 races as a partnership. That is modest, but the pair have clearly built up a long working relationship, and Joyce's familiarity with the horse's quirks must count for something. Raced just yesterday, Mickey The Steel is very much an active and ongoing story. The record over wet ground suggests the horse has not run its last good race — it just needs the clouds to gather and the ground to cut up. When that happens, do not be surprised if this one finds its way back to the winner's enclosure.