Tullybeg

The most recent victory came at Down Royal in September 2023, now over two and a half years ago, and Tullybeg has not been able to add to his tally in the six races since. His recent form reads 4-5-5-2-7, which tells the story of a horse still mixing it and picking up places, but just unable to get his head in front at the moment. At his best, he was a fluid and rhythmic jumper — his regular jockey Danny Gilligan once described him getting into a beautiful groove over the fences, landing so well at the third-last that he actually had to be steadied to avoid running into the leaders too soon. That kind of jumping is a joy to watch and speaks to a horse who genuinely knows his job.

Ground conditions matter with Tullybeg. On slightly soft ground he has won 2 from 6 races — a win rate of 33%, or roughly 1 in every 3 — which is a strong return and suggests he finds an extra gear when there is a little ease underfoot. Push him onto genuinely wet or heavy ground, though, and it becomes a different story. McMahon himself noted back in 2022 that there could be a nice staying race in him, and that has largely proved true — the wins have come at tracks like Navan and Down Royal, not in the top-tier contests where he has gone 0 from 3 without troubling the judge.

At 11, Tullybeg is in the later stages of his career, but the fact he raced just yesterday and is still placing regularly means he remains a live contender wherever McMahon sends him next. A yard that has already produced four winners this season clearly has things ticking over nicely, and on a day when the ground is in his favour, Tullybeg could yet remind people what he is capable of.