Sly Man's Horses to Watch — Sunday 18 October 2026
Nothing shorter than 5/1 makes my book. I'm looking beyond the obvious — but they still have to earn their place.
Five worth watching today. Read the rating, read the angle, then make up your own mind. I'm the wiry one in the silks reading form on a tablet while the favourites warm up — here's what's caught my eye.
Playin Cool
Playin Cool sits top of the card with an SR of 89 and has already broken through at Leopardstown — that combination doesn't often go begging. Jack Cleary's 5lb claim sweetens the price further, and at 11/2 this one is firmly on the radar.
- SR 89 — top of the card
- 1 prior win at Leopardstown
Four independent signals lining up on the same horse at 11/2 is the kind of thing worth circling twice. Truth Be Told is running an SR of 96 — a tick above his career best of 95 — and sits top of the card at Leopardstown this afternoon.
- SR 96 — near career best (95)
- SR 96 — top of the card
- 4 independent signals aligned
Lordan's clocking 18% over the last 30 days and O'Brien is running at 20% in the same window — when both signals fire together at 7/1, Purely is exactly the kind of entry that ends up on the watchlist. The stable is in form, the jockey is in form, and this price looks too generous to ignore.
- W. M. Lordan — 18% strike rate last 30d (13/72)
- Aidan O'Brien — 20% strike rate last 30d (21/107)
Harry Cobden is the man to follow right now — 27% over the last 30 days is not a hot streak, it's a statement — and he's been handed the top-rated horse on the card. Uhavemeinstitches at 5/1 is the one I'm watching at Limerick.
- Harry Cobden — 27% strike rate last 30d (8/30)
- SR 127 — top of the card
Norman Lee is firing at 27% over the last month and At The Wings walks into this race posting an SR of 91 — a tick above its own career best. Top of the card on pure ability figures at 7/1 is the angle here.
- Norman Lee — 27% strike rate last 30d (3/11)
- SR 91 — near career best (90)
- SR 91 — top of the card