Zillow

His most recent victory came at Fairyhouse in late November, and jockey Paul Townend described the experience with refreshing honesty afterwards. Approaching the second-last fence, Townend was convinced he had it won. By the final jump, he was less sure. Once Zillow hit the front, he appeared to immediately start asking whether all this effort was strictly necessary. "He wasn't doing a whole lot," Townend admitted on RTÉ, adding that it was "probably in the melting pot at the last." The other horse in contention actually fell at the final fence, which did Zillow no harm whatsoever. Townend, to his credit, said he still wouldn't have swapped — but it was not exactly a victory that oozes cold-blooded dominance.

What is genuinely interesting about Zillow, though, is the versatility. Townend noted he "got away with it" on the day in terms of conditions underfoot, and that he is proving adaptable to different ground. Willie Mullins had flagged as far back as late 2024 that Zillow could mix between racing over hurdles and on the flat — a fairly unusual dual ticket that hints at a horse with enough raw ability to operate in more than one discipline. After a tired run at Punchestown at that time, Mullins was still upbeat, suggesting it would sharpen him up nicely.

His recent form reads 15th, 18th, a non-finish, 15th, then back-to-back wins — a dramatic improvement that suggests something clicked in the autumn of 2025. He hasn't raced in five months since that Fairyhouse win, but with only 18 days since his last run and the Mullins yard firing at full capacity, it would be no surprise to see him back in action soon. Whether he'll make life easy for his jockey next time is, based on the evidence, a different question entirely.