Thompson Gunner
Thompson Gunner is a five-year-old who has taken a long time to find the winner's enclosure, but when the horse does get to the front, there is a pattern worth watching. In 19 races, the horse has won just once—at Dundalk on 13 January 2026—and added five places, a record that speaks to real struggles in the saddle. Yet the win came at a specific distance that suits this horse far better than most: over the mile-and-three-to-mile-and-four-furlong range, Thompson Gunner has won one of four races (25%), compared to barely ever winning elsewhere. That distance appears to be where this horse's engine runs best, and any trainer would mark that down as the horse's sweet spot.Based on TrackLab's AI analysis
📊 Key Numbers
Career statistics for this horse
26.3%
Place rate (top 3)
avg ~30%
🏁 Next Race
Today
Navan
About 1 mile · Ideal conditions · 20 runners
→
🔍 Full Analysis
TrackLab's AI-generated assessment based on career data and recent form
Seven months have passed since that win, a long dry spell that suggests Thompson Gunner faces stiff competition or has simply fallen between the gaps of finding suitable races. Recent form shows the horse still turning up and trying—places in four of the last six runs, including a fourth-place finish less than a week ago. The horse remains active and engaged, which matters; some horses simply stop showing up. Cian Hughes trains from Newcastle in County Dublin and has had a modest season with two winners overall, so his yard is not sending out dozens of winning types each year. That Thompson Gunner represents 50 percent of his seasonal wins points to the horse having genuine value in Hughes' stable, even if the broader record is thin on top. The next step is getting this horse back to that mile-and-three-to-mile-and-four-furlong trip where it has shown it can win. Everything else has been a sideshow.
⚡ Strengths & Risks
What the data says works for and against this horse
✓ What works in their favour
✔ Excellent record on standard ground: 1 wins from 10 starts (10%)
✔ Well suited by 1m3f – 1m4f distances: 25% win rate
⚠ What to watch out for
⚠ Poor record on good ground: 0 wins from 6 starts
🎯 Where This Horse Thrives
Performance broken down by ground, distance, class, and track type
🌧 Ground Conditions
Standard (all-weather)
Loves
Yielding to soft (damp)
Unknown
🏟 Track Shape
Left-handed, long straights
Loves
Right-handed, tight turns
Unknown
Right-handed, tight
Unknown
Right-handed, hilly
Unknown
Right-handed, long straights
Avoids
📅 Recent Runs
The last 10 races, most recent first
14 Aug
5th
Cork
1m1f – 1m2f · Good · 19 runners
20 Mar
DNF
Dundalk
1m3f – 1m4f · Standard · 13 runners
6 Feb
5th
Dundalk
1m6f – 2m · Standard · 12 runners
13 Jan
🏆 Won
Dundalk
1m3f – 1m4f · Standard · 17 runners
5 Dec
4th
Dundalk
1m1f – 1m2f · Standard · 14 runners
19 Nov
4th
Dundalk
1m3f – 1m4f · Standard · 16 runners
5 Nov
2nd
Dundalk
1m3f – 1m4f · Standard · 17 runners
26 Jul
12th
Gowran Park
1m1f – 1m2f · Good · 15 runners
19 Jun
11th
Leopardstown
1m1f – 1m2f · Good · 18 runners
23 May
13th
The Curragh
1m1f – 1m2f · Good · 23 runners
🏇 Jockey Partnerships
Every jockey who has ridden this horse, sorted by rides together
Patrick McGettigan Current Jockey
🏟 Track Record
Win rate at each course this horse has visited
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|
| Dundalk Galloping |
10 |
1 win, 2 seconds, 1 third, 6 other |
20 Mar |
10% |
| Ballinrobe Sharp |
2 |
2 other |
22 Jul |
0% |
| The Curragh Galloping |
2 |
2 other |
23 May |
0% |
| Galway Tight |
1 |
1 other |
3 Aug |
0% |
| Gowran Park Undulating |
1 |
1 other |
26 Jul |
0% |
| Leopardstown Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
19 Jun |
0% |
| Cork Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
14 Aug |
0% |
| Navan Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
29 Aug |
0% |