Missus Beeton

Those two recent wins came at Leopardstown on 3 March — five months ago now — and at Limerick, where she recorded her first career victory on 30 May 2024. The Limerick success marked a turning point: it took her nineteen races to break her duck, but once she had her first win under her belt, she began to accumulate victories more regularly. The pattern of her recent form also reveals something specific about what Missus Beeton needs to excel. She absolutely thrives on wet or muddy ground, winning two of her five races (a 40% win rate) when conditions are testing. On faster, firmer ground she is far less effective, which tells the yard at trainer J P Dempsey's yard in County Kildare exactly what kind of race to target for her.

Shane Fitzgerald has partnered her most often in the saddle, though his record together stands at one win from eleven rides — a 9% return — suggesting the partnership works but is not a particularly prolific one. Dempsey's yard has sent out sixteen winners this season, a tidy return, and clearly knows how to get the best from horses in the moderate ranks. With two wins in her last six outings, Missus Beeton has proven she still has something left to give. She may never win regularly, but on the right ground, in the right race, she remains capable of finding the winner's enclosure.