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Horse profile

Ballyfad (IRE)

5yo gelding · Trainer Gordon Elliott · Owner Gigginstown House Stud
by Tirwanako (FR) out of Be Donn (IRE) (Brian Boru)
6 runs · 5 courses · from Nov 2025
As at 18 Oct 2026 · KTB archive: GB, Ireland & France · 2005–present, updated daily
3 wins · Leopardstown, Punchestown & Down Royal Off 189 days · 3rd of 12 Last raced off OR 148
KTB Profile

Ballyfad is a gelding who has won three of six starts on turf, all in bumpers or maiden hurdles between Nov 2025 and Dec 2025. He won the Eventsec Flat Race at Down Royal over 2m1f – 2m4f on soft ground, the Exhibit A Displays Flat Race at Punchestown over 1m5f – 2m on heavy ground and the TRI Equestrian Maiden Hurdle at Leopardstown over 1m5f – 2m on soft ground. He finished 3 of 12 in the Turners Mersey Novices' Hurdle at Aintree in Apr 2026, last raced off a career-high mark of 148.

Based on 6 archived runs · run-style from 2 commented runs · updated 18 Oct 2026

KTB Speed and Rating

KTB Speed

Best recent Speed 133 the best of the last 3 graded (A or B) runs · Cheltenham, 11 Mar 2026

How fast the horse ran, as points against the day-corrected standard time for its course and distance: 100 is the median GB Class 4 handicap winner on that code; one point is 0.1% of the standard time. A, B or C is how much the day's card could tell us, not how good the run was. What this means →

Jumps 5 figures · best 133B · median 109
GoingRunsBestMedianSince 18 Oct 2025
Good to Soft2133B1212 · 133 / 121
Soft277B73.52 · 77 / 73.5
Heavy1——1 · —
DistanceRunsBestMedianSince 18 Oct 2025
2m1f – 2m4f2109A89.52 · 109 / 89.5
1m5f – 2m2121A992 · 121 / 99
2m5f – 3m1——1 · —

Of 6 runs looked at, 1 has no figure: obstacles omitted — the race ran a shortened course (1).

KTB Speed v1 · batch 15 Sep 2026 · GB & Irish racing only · 5 figures from 6 runs · as at 3 Oct 2026 · a record, not a forecast

KTB Rating

Best recent KTB Rating 155A the best of the last 3 rated runs · Leopardstown, 1 Feb 2026 Official rating 148 at the last run, 11 Apr 2026

What the horse achieved in each race, in pounds on the official-rating scale, from the weight carried, the lengths beaten and the race's own level solved across the archive — never the market, never the official rating as a starting point. The headline is the best of the horse's last three rated runs on that code. A, B or C on a run is how much known form was in that race. What this means →

Jumps 6 figures · best 155A · median 146.5
GoingRunsBestMedianSince 18 Oct 2025
Good to Soft2146A1452 · 146 / 145
Heavy2155A1512 · 155 / 151
Soft2148A137.52 · 148 / 137.5
DistanceRunsBestMedianSince 18 Oct 2025
1m5f – 2m3155A1483 · 155 / 148
2m1f – 2m4f2146A136.52 · 146 / 136.5
2m5f – 3m1——1 · —

KTB Rating v1 · batch 3 Oct 2026 · GB & Irish racing only · 6 figures from 6 runs · as at 4 Oct 2026 · a record, not a forecast

Both figures are KTB's own, computed from the archive; no vendor rating enters either. Every run's figure is on its form line below with its grade. Grades measure how much the archive could see, never the merit of the run.

Pedigree intelligence

Sire
Tirwanako (FR)

Progeny in our archive have won 16.3% of 283 runs since Jan 2008 (42 horses).

Weakest over 2m1f – 2m4f (all codes): 12.7% from 134.

GoingRunsWinsSRvs sireThis horse
Good to Firm200%−16.3—
Good59711.9%−4.4—
Good to Soft49816.3%00 from 2
Soft1111816.2%−0.12 from 2
Heavy571221.1%+4.81 from 2
Standard (AW)300%−16.3—
Distance (all codes)RunsWinsSRvs sireThis horse
1m – 1m1f100%−16.3—
1m2f – 1m4f9222.2%+5.9—
1m5f – 2m751520%+3.72 from 3
2m1f – 2m4f1341712.7%−3.61 from 2
2m5f – 3m511019.6%+3.30 from 1
Over 3m13215.4%−0.9—

Flat and jumps together (all codes) · since Jan 2008 · as at 18 Oct 2026 · rows under 30 runs muted · win % is the measure, a record not a forecast

Dam
Be Donn (IRE) (Brian Boru)

1 sibling in the archive, 0 winners.

ProduceRunsWinsWin tripsBest grade
Time For Heroes (IRE)10——

Record by conditions

GoingRunsWinsSR£1
Good to Soft 2 0 0% −2.00
Heavy 2 1 50% −0.09
Soft 2 2 100% +2.66

ClassRunsWinsSR£1
Class 1 2 0 0% −2.00

CourseRunsWinsSR£1
Leopardstown 2 1 50% +0.75
Aintree 1 0 0% −1.00
Cheltenham 1 0 0% −1.00
Punchestown 1 1 100% +0.91
Down Royal 1 1 100% +0.91

DistanceRunsWinsSR£1
1m5f – 2m 3 2 67% +1.66
2m1f – 2m4f 2 1 50% −0.09
2m5f – 3m 1 0 0% −1.00

JockeyRunsWinsSR£1
Jack Kennedy 4 1 25% −1.25
Mr J M Halford 2 2 100% +1.82

SeasonRunsWinsSR£1
2026 3 0 0% −3.00
2025 3 3 100% +3.57

TypeRunsWinsSR£1
Hurdle 4 1 25% −1.25
NH Flat 2 2 100% +1.82

Splits include every sample, however small — muted rows are under 3 runs. A one-from-one record is a fact, not a trend: read the Runs column before the strike rate.

Form

DateCourseRace PosBtn Wgt ORSpdKTB Jockey SP
11 Apr 26+31d Aintree Turners Mersey Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1) (GBB Race) Class 1 · 20f · Good To Soft · 12 ran Tracked the front pack - pressed forward approaching two out - battled for second spot to the line and edged out for third 3/12 shd 11-7 148109A146A Jack Kennedy 11/4J
11 Mar 26+38d Cheltenham Turners Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1) (Registered As The Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle) (GBB Race) Class 1 · 21f · Good To Soft · 21 ran Settled in the pack - pushed along after 3 out - stayed on at one gait into the final flight - finished 10th 10/21 ¾ 11-7 147133B144A Jack Kennedy 11/1
01 Feb 26+37d Leopardstown Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle (Grade 1) 16f · Heavy · 12 ran Set the pace early - drifted right over fences on occasion - challenged three out - urged forward two out then driven hard under pressure - overtaken after the last - fought back to edge in front inside the final furlong - kept responding to the line - caught right at the post 2/12 shd 11-12 ——155A Jack Kennedy 7/2
26 Dec 25+34d Leopardstown TRI Equestrian Maiden Hurdle 16f · Yielding · 21 ran Went straight to the front - challenged approaching two out but shaken off with a shove entering the straight - three-length advantage at the final fence - stayed on strongly to the line for victory 1/21 11-7 —77B148A Jack Kennedy 7/4
22 Nov 25+21d Punchestown Exhibit A Displays (Pro/Am) Flat Race 16.5f · Soft To Heavy · 8 ran Sat close to the front pair - moved into second 5f out - hit the front 3f out - asked for effort soon after - challenged hard 2f out and lost command 1 1/2f out into third - fought back to the front inside the final furlong - kept finding to the line 1/8 11-7 —121A147A Mr J M Halford 10/11F
01 Nov 25 Down Royal Eventsec (Pro/Am) Flat Race 17f · Yielding · 6 ran Settled just behind the front group early - moved into second and asked for effort with two furlongs to run - shared front spot under urging approaching the final furlong and a half - hit the front a furlong out - challenged hard inside the last but found extra to prevail 1/6 11-7 —70B127B Mr J M Halford 10/11F

Quick answers

How many races has Ballyfad (IRE) won?
Ballyfad (IRE) won 3 of 6 archived starts between 2025 and 2026, a strike rate of 50%. Placed 5 times in total (83.3% of starts).
Who trains Ballyfad (IRE)?
Ballyfad (IRE) is trained by Gordon Elliott, who saddled the horse on its most recent run on 11 April 2026.
Who is Ballyfad (IRE)'s sire?
Ballyfad (IRE) is by Tirwanako (FR) out of Be Donn (IRE), whose sire is Brian Boru.
What is Ballyfad (IRE)'s official rating?
The most recent official rating on record is 148, from the run on 11 April 2026. That is also the highest on record.
What is Ballyfad (IRE)'s sire's record?
Tirwanako (FR)'s progeny in our archive have won 16.3% of 283 runs since Jan 2008 (42 horses), Flat and jumps together. Weakest over 2m1f – 2m4f (all codes): 12.7% from 134.
Who are Ballyfad (IRE)'s siblings?
Out of Be Donn (IRE), Ballyfad (IRE) has 1 other produce in our archive, 0 of them winners. As at Oct 2026.

Record shown from November 2025. Our archive holds racing in Great Britain, Ireland and France from January 2005. Runs in other countries are not in it, and earlier runs are not available from our data provider. In-running comments are available from 2024 onward.