Pillar Of Hope

The most striking thing is what happens when the ground gets soft underfoot. On wet or slightly soft ground, Pillar Of Hope has won 2 of just 3 races — that is 67%, two wins from three attempts, a figure that would make most trainers sit up. It suggests this is a horse that genuinely transforms when conditions suit, rather than simply grinding out results on whatever surface it finds. Pair that with its best distance — somewhere between a mile and three furlongs and a mile and four — where it has won 3 from 12 races (25%), and you have a horse with a very specific sweet spot that its team clearly understands.

Redcar is worth a mention too. Two wins from just three visits to that North Yorkshire track is the kind of record that does not happen by accident. Whether it is the shape of the track, the typical ground conditions there, or simply a good draw of opponents, Pillar Of Hope goes to Redcar and performs. Its very first career win came there on 13 September 2022, and it has not forgotten the place since.

Most of its racing has come at Class 4 level — a solid mid-tier of competition — where it has won 3 of 8 races, a win rate of 38%, or almost 2 in every 5 races entered. That is genuinely strong at that level. Patrick McGettigan has been the regular jockey, winning 2 of 10 rides together, and the partnership seems to have found its rhythm. The yard itself has sent out 6 winners this season, so this is not a quiet backwater operation running horses for the sake of it.

Pillar Of Hope last won at Leopardstown in October 2025 and raced just yesterday, so this is very much a horse in active training. Recent form of 8-8-4-2-1 shows the last win arriving from a purple patch before a couple of quieter runs. A horse that wins on soft ground, loves a specific trip, and has a course it calls home — the team clearly know exactly when to pull the trigger.