Shanbally Kid

What makes him interesting is the way his last win came about. At Punchestown in May 2025, over nearly four miles of muddy ground, jockey Danny Mullins kept him wide and away from the pack — because Shanbally Kid, as Willie Mullins put it, is a bit like his owner: he likes to be on his own. He gets worked up racing close to other horses, so the team's strategy is simple and effective — give him space, let him travel, and trust his stamina to do the rest. It worked perfectly. On soft, wet ground, he's won 2 from 7 races, a 29% win rate, and that preference for testing conditions is a crucial part of understanding when to watch him.

He's been held back in his last six races without winning, and at the very top level — Class 1, the elite races — he's yet to get off the mark from three attempts. But Willie Mullins isn't worried. He's spoken about Shanbally Kid's jumping finally coming together, and has flagged staying races — the long, stamina-sapping chases — as the targets for this season. More intriguingly still, Mullins has floated the idea that he could be a National horse. The Grand National is one of the most famous races in the world, run over more than four miles with 30 fences, and it rewards exactly the kind of horse Shanbally Kid appears to be: one who settles into his rhythm, jumps cleanly, and keeps going when others are fading.

Danny Mullins is his regular partner in the saddle, the two having won together once from five races — a 20% win rate that's respectable given the level Shanbally Kid competes at. He last raced just yesterday, so he's right in the thick of his campaign. If the ground comes up soft and he gets the room he needs, he's the kind of horse worth keeping a close eye on.