Shoot To Kill

The partnership with jockey Darragh Keenan is where Shoot To Kill has looked most dangerous. Together they have won 4 races from 11 — that is more than 1 in every 3, a remarkable ratio that tells you Keenan understands this horse. When they first linked up at Lingfield Park back in November 2021, Keenan noticed something telling: Shoot To Kill tends to idle when hitting the front, which suggests there may be more in the tank than it always shows. Keep it out of the lead until the right moment, and the horse is a different animal.

On normal ground, Shoot To Kill really comes alive — 3 wins from 13 races at 23%, which works out to winning roughly 1 in every 4 tries, comfortably its best surface. The target is clear: 6-furlong races on fast, dry summer ground. That is not a vague plan; it is the precise set of conditions that suits this horse best. Its last win came at Gowran Park in August 2025, nine months ago now, and the six races since have not produced a victory. But this is not a horse in freefall — it placed third as recently as its last-but-one outing, and it raced just yesterday, meaning the team clearly believe there is another win in it yet.

What makes Shoot To Kill interesting is not the stats alone — it is the tension between what the horse clearly can do and what it actually chooses to do. "Plenty of talent," as one trainer put it after a win at Dundalk. The frustration is real, but so is the upside. At nine years old, with the right draw and a fast summer track, do not rule out one more moment of brilliance.