Skip to content
Trainer profile

David J McGrath

87 runners in the lifetime window · 15 individual horses
As at 5 Nov 2026 · KTB archive: 2005–present, updated daily
Last runner Sep 2023 93% of runners over jumps
Last 5 seasons Lifetime (2008→)
from 1 Jan 2008 — the aggregate floor: every horse in the window has a complete captured career behind it
4–87
Wins / Runs
4.6%
Strike rate
n=87
16 (18%)
Placed
0.71
Fair A/E
n=87 · 0.59 incl. margin
−36.50
£1 level stake
n=87 at SP · −42.0%
£60,336
Prize money (window)
Strike by season
0%
KTB at a glance Derek Thomas McGrath: 3.8% from 52 Claiming riders: 6.8%

Yard patterns

the angles behind the record · vs 4.6% baseline
Fresh · 61+ days off
4.5%−0.1
n=22 · A/E 1.20 · £1 −5.00
New recruits · first run for the yard
0%−4.6
n=2 · A/E 0.00 · £1 −2.00
Debutants · first career start
0%−4.6
n=11 · A/E 0.00 · £1 −11.00
First-time headgear · true-first definition
0%−4.6
n=3 · A/E 0.00 · £1 −3.00
Headgear returns · back on after a bare run
0%−4.6
n=1 · A/E 0.00 · £1 −1.00
When favourite
0%
n=1 · A/E 0.00 · £1 −1.00
Claiming riders · a claimer in the saddle
6.8%+2.2
n=59 · A/E 1.22 · £1 −8.50
Group / Graded races · pattern & listed
0%−4.6
n=2 · A/E 0.00 · £1 −2.00

Each tile is the record in that situation vs the 4.6% baseline — descriptive splits with the sample always shown, for you to weigh. Tiles under 30 runs render muted. Headgear figures use the true-first definition (first gear appearance in the captured career); returns are gear back on after a bare run. Claiming riders are runs where the booked rider carried a weight claim. Group / Graded covers pattern and listed races. The same beliefs, tested across every yard and every GB and Irish race since 2005: Racing myths.

Notable angles

vs their own baseline
In Chase races 7.9% vs 4.6% · n=38
With claiming riders up 6.8% vs 4.6% · n=59
Descriptive splits ranked by divergence × sample — insight, not instruction. Every angle carries its N; nothing under 30 runs qualifies. Rows within 2pts of the baseline appear only when the market-relative read (Fair A/E) diverges, and show it.

Record by conditions

same window as header

Race type

TypeRWSR£1
Chase 38 3 7.9% +9.50
Hurdle 27 1 3.7% −24.00
NH Flat 16 0 0% −16.00
Flat 6 0 0% −6.00

Going

GoingRWSR£1
Good 35 1 2.9% −9.00
Soft 26 2 7.7% −6.00
Heavy 16 1 6.3% −11.50
Good to Soft 8 0 0% −8.00
Firm 1 0 0% −1.00
Good to Firm 1 0 0% −1.00

Courses

CourseRWSR£1
Tramore 12 0 0% −12.00
Limerick 11 0 0% −11.00
Punchestown 10 0 0% −10.00
Wexford 8 0 0% −8.00
Clonmel 6 2 33.3% +24.50
Thurles 6 1 16.7% −3.00
Gowran Park 5 0 0% −5.00
Naas 4 0 0% −4.00
Kilbeggan 4 0 0% −4.00
Tipperary 4 0 0% −4.00
Navan 4 0 0% −4.00
Roscommon 3 1 33.3% +14.00
Fairyhouse 3 0 0% −3.00
Listowel 2 0 0% −2.00
Cork 1 0 0% −1.00

Class

ClassRWSR£1
Class 1 2 0 0% −2.00

Market position

In the bettingRWSRA/E£1
Favourite 5 1 20% 0.68 −2.00
2nd–3rd fav 11 1 9.1% 0.60 −6.50
4th–6th fav 17 1 5.9% 0.93 +9.00
7th+ in betting 54 1 1.9% 0.72 −37.00
Fair A/E per band is the tell: near 1.00 the market had it priced right; well above, the wins came where the market didn't expect them.

Rows below n=30 are shown faded — a small sample is a fact, not a trend. Every figure carries its N.

Jumping record

completion over obstacles · same window as header
84.6% completed · 65 obstacle runners (chases & hurdles)
CodeRCompFURPUBDOth
Chase 38 84.2% 2 1 3 0 0
Hurdle 27 85.2% 1 1 2 0 0
Chases and hurdles only — bumpers have no obstacles, so completion is not a question there. F fell · UR unseated rider · PU pulled up · BD brought down · Oth covers refusals, slip-ups, run-outs and the rare disqualification. Non-runners are excluded throughout. Rows under n=30 are shown faded. A descriptive record, not a tip.

Horses trained

same window as header · most-raced first
HorseRWPlLast ran
October Revolution (IRE) 29 2 4 3 Oct 21
Goulane Chosen (IRE)from F P Cunningham · then Seamus Spillane 25 2 10 26 Apr 17
Three Thirds (IRE) 6 0 1 2 Oct 20
Legal Secretary (IRE) 5 0 0 8 Sep 23
Hihoharry (IRE) 5 0 0 7 Apr 22
Boolavondream (IRE) 4 0 0 6 Jun 18
Very Extravagant (IRE)then Neil Mulholland 3 0 1 30 May 15
Paddy The Champ (IRE)then Jake Thomas Coulson 2 0 0 21 Sep 20
Monas Run (IRE)then Roger Joseph McGrath 2 0 0 29 Dec 08
A Name At Last (IRE) 1 0 0 6 Nov 21
Freddy Mac (IRE)then Mark Usher 1 0 0 16 Oct 19
Sleepy Gent (IRE) 1 0 0 31 Aug 16
All 15 horses sent out in this window. Runs, wins and places only: a strike rate or a return on a handful of runs is noise, so none is quoted per horse — each horse's full record is on its own page.
Where they came from · where they went next

Of the 15 horses listed, 2 arrived from another yard in our archive; 13 had their first archived run for this yard.

6 have since run for another yard; 9 have no later run for another yard in our archive.

Read from each listed horse's whole archived career (2005 onwards), not only this window, and counted over the horses listed above, not the whole string. “First archived run” means our archive holds nothing earlier, not that the horse was unraced. A horse with no later run elsewhere may still be here, be off the track, or have run somewhere our archive does not cover — none of that is asserted.

When the yard fires

strike by month, lifetime
JFMAMJJASOND
0203300140130000
A jumps yard: the season runs Oct–Apr. Muted months are small samples (under 30 runs) — read them with the caution they deserve.

Jockey bookings

same window · biggest samples first
Go-to riderDerek Thomas McGrath
60% of all rides
3.8% SR · A/E 0.89
RiderRWSR£1
Derek Thomas McGrath 52 2 3.8% −9.00
Muted rows are under 30 rides and sit behind "Show all".

Career highlights

lifetime archive, 2005→
4
Archived wins
£64,044
Prize money
2019
Best season · 1 win
In our archive from its very first year (2005), so this career almost certainly began earlier than our record does. The figures above count 2005 onwards only — what the archive holds, not a full-career total. This card is the full archive census (2005→); the statistics in the header aggregate from 2008 — the floor that guarantees every horse a complete captured career — so this card can legitimately show more wins than the header.
Goulane Chosen (IRE) — Slievenamon Rated Novice Chase Clonmel · Mar 2017
£9,856
October Revolution (IRE) — BBQ Evening At Clonmel Races Beginners Chase Clonmel · Jun 2018
£7,392
Goulane Chosen (IRE) — Cashel Maiden Hurdle Thurles · Feb 2015
£6,900
Notable horses
October Revolution (IRE) Goulane Chosen (IRE)

Sires in the string

progeny record · win % by ground and trip
Turtle Island (IRE) 6.9% · 2–29
Progeny have won 7.5% of 3,325 runs since 2008 (309 horses). Strongest on Good to Firm going: 10.7% from 215.
Well Chosen (GB) 8% · 2–25
Progeny have won 12.6% of 1,922 runs since 2008 (156 horses).
Arcadio (GER) 0% · 0–7
Progeny have won 9.2% of 3,979 runs since 2011 (375 horses).
Ask (GB) 0% · 0–5
Progeny have won 10.6% of 3,218 runs since 2014 (283 horses).
Markaz (IRE) 0% · 0–5
Progeny have won 9.6% of 999 runs since 2020 (66 horses).
Scorpion (IRE) 0% · 0–5
Progeny have won 9.2% of 6,324 runs since 2011 (609 horses). Strongest on Good to Firm going: 14.1% from 142.
Top line: the yard's own record with each sire's runners (win %, wins–runs), same window as the header; faded under 30 runs. Beneath it: every run by that sire's progeny in our archive since 2008, as at 5 Nov 2026 — what they have done, not a forecast. A going or a distance is named only where at least 100 progeny runs sit 3 or more points from the sire's own win rate. Distance bands cover Flat and jumps together.

The record

latest 50 of 104 · newest first

The latest 50 of 104 archived runners, newest first. The full record runs from 6 April 2005 to 8 September 2023.

DateCourseHorseRaceFinishSP
08 Sep 23 Kilbeggan Legal Secretary (IRE)J: Conor Brassil Adare Manor Opportunity Maiden Hurdle19f · Good To Yielding · 15 ran 10th 150/1
17 Aug 23 Tramore Legal Secretary (IRE)J: Conor Brassil Bluegrass Horse Feeds Maiden Hurdle16f · Good · 15 ran 10th 150/1
14 Jul 23 Cork Legal Secretary (IRE)J: Hugh Morgan Sign Up To Our Newsletter Maiden Hurdle17f · Yielding · 18 ran F 150/1
07 Apr 22 Limerick Hihoharry (IRE)J: Derek Thomas McGrath Locke Burger (C & G) Maiden Hurdle21f · Good · 18 ran 13th 33/1
10 Feb 22 Thurles Hihoharry (IRE)J: Derek Thomas McGrath BetVictor Maiden Hurdle23f · Yielding · 11 ran UR 100/1
06 Nov 21 Naas A Name At Last (IRE)J: Derek Thomas McGrath Irish Stallion Farms Ebf Mares (pro/am) Flat Race16f · Yielding To Soft · 13 ran 11th 125/1
26 Oct 21 Curragh Legal Secretary (IRE)J: Robbie Colgan Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Fillies Maiden7f · Soft · 24 ran 16th 250/1
19 Oct 21 Gowran Park Legal Secretary (IRE)J: Leigh Roche Irish EBF Median Sires Series Fillies Maiden8f · Soft To Heavy · 10 ran 9th 250/1
03 Oct 21 Tipperary October Revolution (IRE)J: Derek Thomas McGrath McGrath Oil Emily Handicap Hurdle (80-95)24f · Yielding · 16 ran 9th 40/1
15 Sep 21 Sligo October Revolution (IRE)J: Derek Thomas McGrath Riverstown Handicap Chase (0-95)25.5f · Good · 15 ran 6th 40/1
20 Aug 21 Kilbeggan October Revolution (IRE)J: Derek Thomas McGrath Greville Arms Hotel Mullingar Handicap Chase (0-95) (Div 2)25f · Yielding · 13 ran 7th 17/2
03 Aug 21 Roscommon October Revolution (IRE)J: Derek Thomas McGrath Castlerea Handicap Chase (0-95)24.5f · Good To Yielding · 16 ran 6th 33/1
16 Jun 21 Navan Hihoharry (IRE)J: Derek Thomas McGrath Kilberry Maiden Hurdle22f · Good · 18 ran 5th 14/1
18 May 21 Limerick October Revolution (IRE)J: Derek Thomas McGrath Adare Handicap Chase (0-102) (Div 1)22.5f · Good · 16 ran PU 28/1
12 Oct 20 Kilbeggan October Revolution (IRE)J: Derek Thomas McGrath Bellamianta Luxury Tanning Handicap Hurdle (80-95) (Div 2)25f · Soft · 12 ran 5th 8/1
04 Oct 20 Tipperary October Revolution (IRE)J: Derek Thomas McGrath Tipperary Handicap Hurdle (80-95)24f · Good · 14 ran 5th 25/1
02 Oct 20 Gowran Park Three Thirds (IRE)J: Derek Thomas McGrath Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mucklemeg Mares Flat Race (Listed)16f · Good · 13 ran 8th 150/1
28 Sep 20 Roscommon Hihoharry (IRE)J: Derek Thomas McGrath Connolly's Red Mills Flat Race16f · Good · 13 ran 10th 40/1
21 Sep 20 Listowel Paddy The Champ (IRE)J: Derek Thomas McGrath Kerry Petroleum Flat Race16f · Good · 12 ran 8th 40/1
03 Sep 20 Clonmel Three Thirds (IRE)J: Derek Thomas McGrath Tickincor (Pro/Am) Flat Race16.5f · Good · 13 ran 9th 14/1

Drawn from the whole archive (2005 onwards), so it can include runs outside the window the header statistics cover. Non-runners are not listed. A finish shown in letters is a non-completion (F fell · UR unseated · PU pulled up · BD brought down).

Quick answers

What is David J McGrath's strike rate?
David J McGrath has won 4 of 87 runners since 2008, a strike rate of 4.6% (as at 5 November 2026). Figures are computed from our own results archive.
Who rides most for David J McGrath?
Derek Thomas McGrath, with 52 runners since 2008 — 60% of the total. That pairing has won 2 (3.8%).
What is David J McGrath's Fair A/E?
0.71, from 87 runners with a computed fair probability since 2008. Fair A/E compares actual wins with a margin-stripped market expectation, so 1.00 is par: above it the wins came at bigger prices than the margin-free market implied, below it they did not.
Fair A/E compares wins with a margin-stripped market expectation. Favourite-heavy samples — top yards, leading riders — naturally read a few points warm, so 1.05 means "beat the margin-free market read", not "the market underrates this by 5%". Three sample sizes are reported and never blended: runs (n), the ROI basis (n at SP), and the fair-A/E basis (n with a computed fair probability).

Strike rate is wins over all runs (n). ROI is £1 level stakes at SP over runs with a parseable price (n at SP). Fair A/E is wins over margin-stripped market expectation, over runs with a computed fair probability (n fair). The three Ns can legitimately differ and are always shown. Figures as at 5 November 2026, computed from our own results archive (2005 onwards; aggregates from 2008).