You know how punters get lost in too much data or bet blindly? I break down the stats and trends so you can feel confident you’re betting with more than just gut instinct.
2026 Ruby Stakes Preview
Scheduled to take place in August of each year at the Killarney Racecourse is the Ruby Stakes, a race that holds a Listed status and is open to runners who are aged three or older.
It was first run in 1997 and originally took place at Tralee until its closure in 2007. It was staged on the all-weather in 2008 and then moved to its new home at Killarney in 2009. The race is run over a trip of one mile and twenty yards.
Ruby Stakes Information:
We also have a dedicated Killarney tips page that will cover this race, as well as all the other races on the day. See which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are predicting to win this race and the others on the cards.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026
How competitive is the Ruby Stakes market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 17 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2018, when the race had an over-round of 112%. The race in 2019 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 131%, whilst on average over the last 17 renewals of the Ruby Stakes, the over-round has been 120%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £120 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Ruby Stakes Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the Ruby Stakes Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Ruby Stakes races over the last 17 renewals:
- Horoscope (1:40.55) in 2021
- Wannabe Better (1:40.75) in 2013
- My Nordic Hero (1:41.42) in 2015
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 17 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Ruby Stakes next time out, then you would have backed a total of 3 winners. Backing all 17 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -4.24. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Ruby Stakes.
When looking over the past 17 renewals, a time of 1:40.55 was set by Horoscope in 2021, trained by A P O'Brien and ridden by Emmet McNamara, which is the quickest time over that period. The slowest winning time was set in 2020 when So Wonderful won in a time of 1:49.89 for trainer A P O'Brien, who booked Seamie Heffernan in the saddle.
Ruby Stakes Past Winners
Here are the Ruby Stakes' past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the race year, the winning horse, and the horse's age & weight. Also detailed are the stall from which the horse came and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Ruby Stakes are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 1:42.24 | Thalara (IRE) 5yo 9-4 (9 of 9) 6/1 | Andrew Slattery Henry De Bromhead (IRE) |
| 2024 1:44.41 | One Look (IRE) 3yo 8-13 (3 of 9) 13/8F | W J Lee P Twomey (IRE) |
| 2023 1:44.20 | Salt Lake City (IRE) 3yo 9-3 (5 of 8) 5/1 | Killian Hennessy A P O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2022 1:42.93 | Charterhouse (GB) 4yo 9-9 (12 of 12) 13/2 | Scott McCullagh John Joseph Murphy (IRE) |
| 2021 1:40.55 | Horoscope (IRE) 3yo 9-5 (12 of 11) 10/1 | Emmet McNamara A P O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2020 1:49.89 | So Wonderful (USA) 3yo 9-0 (11 of 9) 11/2 | Seamie Heffernan A P O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2019 1:42.90 | Lady Wannabe (IRE) 3yo 8-12 (13 of 15) 5/1F | Chris Hayes J A Stack (IRE) |
| 2018 1:41.70 | I Can Fly (GB) 3yo 8-12 (4 of 7) 2/1F | Seamie Heffernan A P O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2017 1:46.64 | Canary Row (IRE) 7yo 9-9 (9 of 8) 15/2 | Ronan Whelan P J Prendergast (IRE) |
| 2016 1:42.16 | Erysimum (IRE) 3yo 8-12 (1 of 10) 5/1 | W J Lee W McCreery (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Ruby Stakes have been based:
- IRE: 17 winners with an additional 31 placings from 163 runners
- GB: 0 winners with an additional 2 placings from 2 runners
Ruby Stakes Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Ruby Stakes over the last 17 renewals is A P O'Brien, who has won the race eight times, with those eight winners coming from Poet (2009), Pure Champion (2010), Wild Wind (2011), Soon (2012), I Can Fly (2018), So Wonderful (2020), Horoscope (2021) and Salt Lake City (2023). Two trainers have not had the best of times over the last 17 renewals in the Ruby Stakes. Joseph Patrick O'Brien has sent a total of 17 runners to the race without recording any wins, whilst Mrs John Harrington has sent out 10 without a winner.
Here are some of the top Ruby Stakes trainer statistics over the last 17 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| A P O'Brien | 23-8-9 | +22.25 | +8.90 |
| D K Weld | 10-1-1 | -8.27 | -8.56 |
| J S Bolger | 9-1-2 | -3.50 | -4.00 |
| W McCreery | 8-1-6 | -2.00 | +1.92 |
| John Joseph Murphy | 7-1-2 | +0.50 | -0.80 |
| J A Stack | 3-1-1 | +3.00 | +1.00 |
| Henry De Bromhead | 2-1-1 | +5.00 | +2.60 |
| P Twomey | 2-1-1 | +0.63 | -0.02 |
| Joseph Patrick O'Brien | 17-0-6 | -17.00 | -7.15 |
| Mrs John Harrington | 10-0-2 | -10.00 | -7.20 |
Ruby Stakes Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Ruby Stakes over the last 17 renewals is Seamie Heffernan, who has won the race four times, with those four winners coming from Pure Champion (2010), Soon (2012), I Can Fly (2018) and So Wonderful (2020). The only other jockey to have recorded multiple wins in the Ruby Stakes is W J Lee (2 wins). There is one jockey who has not had the best of times in the Ruby Stakes; Shane Foley has ridden 11 runners in the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top Ruby Stakes jockey statistics over the last 17 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seamie Heffernan | 7-4-4 | +11.75 | +5.90 |
| W J Lee | 10-2-5 | -1.37 | -0.25 |
| Wayne Lordan | 10-1-2 | +3.00 | +0.10 |
| Chris Hayes | 8-1-2 | -2.00 | -1.50 |
| Ronan Whelan | 5-1-2 | +3.50 | +1.27 |
| Emmet McNamara | 2-1-1 | +9.00 | +5.00 |
| Scott McCullagh | 1-1-1 | +6.50 | +3.90 |
| Andrew Slattery | 1-1-1 | +6.00 | +3.60 |
| Sean Levey | 1-1-1 | +5.00 | +3.00 |
| Killian Hennessy | 1-1-1 | +5.00 | +3.00 |
2026 Ruby Stakes Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 2, 1, 6, (4, 6), 2, 1, (2, 3), 5, 4, 1, 1, 7, 6, 2, 5, 1, 4
The percentage shown is the proportion of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well.
- 17 / 17 (63%) - No bigger than 12/1
- 17 / 17 (74%) - Achieved a TS of 64+ (Season)
- 17 / 17 (75%) - Within the first 7 of the market
- 17 / 17 (78%) - Achieved an RPR of 92+ (Season)
- 17 / 17 (79%) - Placed within last 4 starts
- 17 / 17 (82%) - Achieved an RPR of 80+ (LTO)
- 17 / 17 (84%) - No bigger than 20/1 (LTO)
- 17 / 17 (84%) - Had 1 - 6 placings (1 Year)
- 17 / 17 (85%) - Not BB/BG/CH in colour
- 17 / 17 (87%) - Highest Won is not G3/LST/Cl5
- 17 / 17 (88%) - Had 1 - 4 wins (Career)
- 16 / 17 (87%) - No bigger than 50/1 (Career)
- 15 / 17 (70%) - Won within last 6 starts
- 15 / 17 (77%) - No bigger than 20/1 (Career Place)
- 15 / 17 (79%) - No older than a 4yo
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Killarney racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Ruby Stakes. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Ruby Stakes by adding a tip on the race here.
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2026 Ruby Stakes Runners & Shortlist
The runners and the final trends shortlist for the 2026 renewal of the Ruby Stakes will be added once the final declarations are confirmed, which are usually 48 hours before the race.
Ruby Stakes Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 9+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +30.13, is when runners ran at Curragh on debut.
❌ The worst-performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 0 places in the past year; when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-22.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 9 (1,6) [9 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 3 (9,5) [9 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 5 (1,4) [8 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 12 (10,8) [12 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 12 (5,2) [11 Runners]
The courses that have produced the most winners of the Ruby Stakes are Galway and Curragh; there have been a total of 4 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 7 winners from a total of 71 runners, while female runners have produced 10 winners from a total of 94 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Ruby Stakes; that stallion, Galileo, has produced 2 winners (2023,2012).
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Ruby Stakes despite multiple attempts:
- Lope De Vega (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Showcasing (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 17 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Wannabe Better in 2013, winning for T Stack at odds of 12/1 under the guidance of Wayne Lordan. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 17 renewals, there have been 5 winning favourites in the race. Ahead of the 2026 Ruby Stakes, why not head over to the best racing tipster page to see what the tipsters are backing today?
Route to the Ruby Stakes
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Ruby Stakes. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Thalara Navan - 3rd of 12 (20/1) | Darley Irish EBF Kooyonga Stakes |
| 2024 - One Look Gowran Park - 2nd of 8 (5/1) | Darley Irish EBF Hurry Harriet Stakes |
| 2023 - Salt Lake City Galway - 16th of 18 (10/1) | COLM QUINN BMW Mile Handicap |
| 2022 - Charterhouse Leopardstown - 3rd of 7 (14/1) | Bahrain Turf Club Desmond Stakes |
| 2021 - Horoscope Galway - 13th of 18 (8/1) | COLM QUINN BMW Mile Handicap |
| 2020 - So Wonderful Curragh - 1st of 18 (13/8) | Hashtag ForTheLoveOfKildare Fillies Maiden |
| 2019 - Lady Wannabe Killarney - 2nd of 11 (6/1) | Irish Stallion Farms EBF Cairn Rouge Stakes |
| 2018 - I Can Fly Galway - 4th of 10 (5/1) | Arthur Guinness Irish EBF Corrib Fillies Stakes |
| 2017 - Canary Row Curragh - 3rd of 12 (11/2) | Paddy Power ACCA Insurance Handicap |
| 2016 - Erysimum Naas - 4th of 7 (20/1) | Bar One Racing Lacken Stakes |
Article Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this Ruby Stakes Preview are Andy and James. They both work on the Horse Racing Tips team, overseeing the tipsters and managing the tip settlement, while also creating and managing all the horse racing event previews for Flat racing.
James Banting
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
