Velvet Elvis

That Fairyhouse record is genuinely striking. Two wins from just five races at the track means Velvet Elvis has won 2 in every 5 times it has turned up there — a 40% win rate at one course, compared to just 14% everywhere else. That kind of pattern is not a coincidence. Whether it is the layout of the track, the ground conditions that tend to suit, or simply the confidence that comes from having won there before, Fairyhouse clearly brings something out in this horse. The last of those wins came on 7 February 2024, so it has been 26 months since Velvet Elvis last tasted success, and the recent form — finishing seventh and eighth in its last two completed races, with the other four not resulting in a finish — makes for uncomfortable reading.

The partnership with jockey Darragh O'Keeffe is one of the more interesting threads in this story. In ten races together they have won twice, a win rate of 1 in every 5, which is noticeably better than Velvet Elvis's overall record. That kind of chemistry between horse and rider matters, and it is the sort of detail that would make you look twice at the racecard if O'Keeffe was booked for a run — particularly at Fairyhouse.

McConnell's yard has been in excellent form this season, sending out 42 winners, so the infrastructure and momentum are there. Velvet Elvis raced just one day ago and remains in active training, which at least tells you the team still believe there is a race to be won. At ten years old, with a long winless run behind it, the question is simply whether Fairyhouse can work its magic one more time.