You Make Me Smile

Across 35 races, You Make Me Smile has won 4 times and finished in the top three on 8 other occasions — a win rate of roughly 1 in every 9 races, or about 11%. That is a modest headline figure, but it masks some genuinely interesting patterns. On slightly soft, wet ground, the numbers jump sharply: 2 wins from 8 races, meaning it wins 1 in every 4 times conditions turn in its favour. That is a horse that comes alive when the ground gets a bit of moisture in it, and any trainer worth their salt will be watching the weather forecast closely.

Then there is Sligo. At that course alone, You Make Me Smile has won 2 of its 6 races — a 1-in-3 record that marks it out as a genuine course specialist. Some horses simply suit a particular track's layout, its turns, its undulations, and this one clearly has a fondness for Sligo that goes beyond coincidence. P A Fahy, the trainer based in Leighlinbridge, Co Carlow, has had a productive season with 9 winners sent out from the yard, and You Make Me Smile is a meaningful part of that tally.

The recent form is encouraging too. The last 6 races read 2-3-7-5-1-1 — two wins followed by a couple of moderate efforts, but the trajectory before that dip was clearly upward. The horse raced just one day ago, so it is firmly in the thick of an active campaign. Its last win came at Galway in October 2025, around 6 months ago, which means it is hunting its next success now. Regular rider Ms C A Walsh has partnered the horse 6 times without a win between them, which is a curious subplot given how well the horse has performed for others — though small sample sizes in racing can be misleading.

At 8 years old, with its best form coming in the last year of its career, You Make Me Smile is proof that some horses simply take time to figure out what they are good at.