That changed at Gowran Park on 20 May 2026, where Sanctijude finally got its head in front for the first time. What's worth noting is where that win came from: over a trip of around a mile and a furlong to a mile and two furlongs, Sanctijude wins 1 from 4 races — that's 25%, compared to just 10% overall. In simple terms, the horse is three times more likely to win when it gets that particular distance. It's a small but telling detail that suggests the yard — sorry, that the yard — now have a clearer picture of where to aim it.
Recent form backs up the idea that Sanctijude is on an upward curve. Reading the last six runs from most recent back — 1, 4, 3, 4, 2, 3 — there's a pattern of steady involvement, and that win is the most recent result of all, meaning Sanctijude goes into its next race off the back of a victory rather than chasing one. That matters in racing more than it might sound; a horse in form and in confidence is a different proposition to one still searching for a breakthrough.
The trainer, W McCreery, operates out of Rathbride in Co Kildare and has sent out 21 winners already this season — a yard clearly in good health and knowing what it's doing. For a still-developing three-year-old to get its first win this week, with a trainer firing on all cylinders behind it, the timing feels right. Sanctijude won't be troubling the biggest races in Ireland just yet, but at the right distance on a good day, it has shown it can win — and at this stage of a young horse's career, that's exactly where you want to be.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gowran Park Undulating |
4 | 1 win, 2 seconds, 1 third | 20 May | 25% |
| Naas Galloping |
2 | 2 other | 22 Mar | 0% |
| The Curragh Galloping |
2 | 1 third, 1 other | 4 May | 0% |
| Galway Tight |
1 | 1 second | 9 Sep | 0% |
| Leopardstown Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 19 Jun | 0% |