Ian Patrick Donoghue

The last two weeks have been particularly sharp. Two winners from 11 runners at an 18% clip — well above his seasonal average — is exactly the kind of form that tells you a yard is firing. Horses don't win in clusters by accident. It usually means the animals are healthy, the timing is right, and the team has things working. For a trainer still in the early stages of building a reputation, streaks like this are how the phone starts ringing.

Much of that momentum has been built alongside jockey Conor Stone-Walsh, who has become something close to a house jockey for the operation. Together they have combined for 9 wins from 42 rides — winning roughly 1 in every 5 races they team up for. That 21% win rate is almost double Donoghue's overall average, which tells you the partnership is more than just convenience. When Stone-Walsh is in the saddle, the horses are running in the right races at the right times.

One area worth watching is how Donoghue's runners perform on wet or muddy ground. With 3 wins from 19 races in those conditions, he's winning at 16% — notably better than his overall rate. Some trainers simply prepare their horses differently when the ground is testing, whether through specific work or careful race selection. Whatever the reason, when the rain comes, his yard tends to perform.

The partnership with Kanog Bay — just 1 win from 7 races together — is the one figure that doesn't quite fit the narrative, and suggests that particular horse remains a work in progress. But with 50 career winners already banked and the win rate trending firmly upward, Donoghue looks like a trainer who is finding his feet faster than most.