Mon Na Slieve

The key to understanding this horse is the ground. On normal conditions, he has won 3 from 10 races — that's a 30% win rate, which means he wins almost 1 in every 3 times the track is playing fair. Kevin Ryan, who trains him at Hambleton in North Yorkshire, is blunt about it: get him on wet or soft ground and you are wasting your time. He needs it fast. Even conditions that are only slightly on the soft side are no good to him. That is not a horse who is fragile or difficult — that is a horse who is highly specific, and once you understand that, his record starts to make a lot more sense.

The highlight of his career so far came at York in May 2023, when he won a Class 2 race — one of the top-tier contests in British racing. That was also his very first career win, which made it all the more striking. York is one of Britain's most prestigious tracks, and landing a Class 2 there on debut as a winner is the kind of moment that announces a horse. Ryan believes he is capable of winning more races at that level, describing him as an out-and-out five-furlong sprinter with the ability to compete in some nice contests when conditions fall right. Most recently he added another win at Ayr in June 2025, so the talent is still there.

Tom Eaves rides him most often — they have teamed up 10 times together, winning once. He is currently five years old, was racing just yesterday, and Ryan's yard has been in strong form this season, sending out 45 winners. His last six results — a mix of mid-field finishes and a couple of placed efforts — suggest he has been waiting for his ground rather than losing his form. When the dry weather comes, Mon Na Slieve tends to turn up.