Pride Of Place

At seven years old, Pride Of Place is in the prime of its racing life, and the form right now suggests things are clicking into place at exactly the right moment. The last six runs read 1-–-8-9-9-9, which means three moderate efforts followed by a blank run, then a win, and another win most recently at Killarney — just this week. That is the shape of a horse coming back to its best, not fading away from it.

The Killarney win is the most recent chapter, landed on 9 May 2026, and it follows a first career win at Tipperary back in July 2025. Two wins in under a year, both arriving after a period of mid-field finishes, suggests Pride Of Place has found a level and a set of conditions that suit it. Those conditions are worth noting: on slightly soft ground — turf that has a bit of give underfoot after rain — Pride Of Place has won 2 races from just 7 attempts, a win rate of 29%, or nearly 1 in 3. That is a dramatic improvement on its overall record and tells you exactly what to look for when the forecast looks grey.

Charlie O'Dwyer has been in the saddle for 8 of the 22 races, winning once together, which works out at roughly 1 in every 8 rides — a modest partnership on paper, but a loyal one. The training operation behind the horse is E Bolger, based in Bruree, Co Limerick, a yard that has already sent out 14 winners this season. That is a stable in decent form, and the fact that Pride Of Place is racing and winning right now fits the picture of a team managing their horses well.

This is not a horse chasing glory in the biggest races. But a seven-year-old winning this week, showing a clear preference for soft ground, and still improving its recent form? Pride Of Place is worth following whenever the rain comes.