The Yellow Clay

The Yellow Clay is at its very best when the ground is wet and heavy underfoot. On soft, muddy ground it has won 2 from 3 races — a 67% win rate — which tells you this is a horse that doesn't just tolerate difficult conditions, it thrives in them. It also has a particular affection for Navan racecourse, winning 2 of its 3 races there. Course specialists are genuinely valuable — there's something about the track, the shape, the ground that suits them, and Navan seems to bring out the best in this horse.

The partnership with jockey Sam Ewing is worth paying attention to. In five races together, they've won three — a 60% win rate, or 3 in every 5 attempts. That's a remarkable record between horse and rider, suggesting the two have genuine chemistry. When Ewing is in the saddle, punters have historically been right to pay attention.

The honest caveat is that The Yellow Clay hasn't won in its last 6 races, with its most recent victory coming at Naas back in January 2025 — now 15 months ago. Its recent form figures of 5-–-5-2-–-2 show a horse that keeps filling the places but hasn't been able to get back to the winner's enclosure. Two runner-up finishes in the mix suggest it's competitive and hasn't lost its spark entirely — it's knocking on the door rather than fading into the background. At 7 years old, this is a horse at the prime of its career, and with the right conditions — wet ground, a track it knows — another win feels like a matter of when rather than if.