Naughty Niall

He races almost exclusively at Class 6, the workaday end of the sport, and has won 3 of his 18 races at that level — roughly 1 in every 6. His first career win came at Southwell in December 2024, and his most recent was at Wolverhampton in November 2025, about six months ago. Since then he has gone six races without a win, though his recent form reads 6-2-4-7-2-2 — two second-place finishes in his last two outings before that suggest the ability is still there, even if the win has been elusive. He raced just yesterday, which tells you everything about his schedule: this is a horse who works for a living.

One thing worth noting is what happens when Naughty Niall gets a longer trip. Over distances between a mile and six furlongs and two miles, he has won 1 from 3 races — that is 33%, or roughly 1 in every 3, which is a significantly better return than his overall record. It is a small sample, but it is the kind of detail a sharp observer files away.

He is trained by Ian Williams at Alvechurch in Worcestershire, a yard that has sent out 91 winners this season alone — a serious operation. Ryan Kavanagh rides him most often, winning 1 of their 6 races together, or roughly 1 in every 6. Neither figure screams dominance, but the combination has clearly found ways to get the job done. Naughty Niall might never trouble the big occasions, but for a horse running at this level, simply being reliable, consistent, and still racing actively at 26 career runs is its own kind of achievement.