Ross O'Sullivan

This season the numbers tell a slightly complicated story. Across 419 runners, he has won 35 races — roughly 1 in every 12, or about 8% — which is a small step back from last year's 11%. On paper, that looks like a dip. But zoom in on the last two weeks and the picture changes sharply: 3 winners from 17 runners, a win rate closer to 1 in 6. That kind of short-term purple patch often signals a yard that is hitting its stride, with horses coming right at the right time.

There are two conditions where O'Sullivan clearly has an edge. The first is the weather. On very wet, muddy ground, his runners win at 15% — 6 wins from 39 races, nearly twice his season average. That is not a coincidence; it suggests he knows exactly which horses in his yard have the grit and physique to handle testing conditions, and he targets those races accordingly. The second is Tramore, a tight, quirky track on the south coast of Ireland that rewards local knowledge. He has sent out 3 winners from just 11 runners there — a remarkable return that speaks to genuine course expertise.

His most productive working relationship is with jockey Danny Gilligan, and the numbers back it up: 9 wins from 62 rides together, a win rate of roughly 1 in 7. That is comfortably better than his yard's overall average, suggesting the two have developed a real understanding of how to place and ride horses to their strengths. The one curiosity in his record is On Lovers Walk — a horse he has run 10 times without a win, which is unusual for any yard's most prominent partnership. Whether that is a horse still finding its feet or simply one that keeps running into better rivals, the scoreboard reads 0 from 10 for now.

At just four years in, O'Sullivan is still building. The trajectory — a top-level winner, 123 career wins, and a yard clearly in good nick right now — suggests there is plenty more to come.