Alfred Tennyson

The horse's last win came three weeks ago at Gowran Park, a course in County Kilkenny where he has clearly found favour. That victory followed a patchy spell — he finished 16th in his previous race, then third and first in the two before that — the sort of up-and-down run that's typical of horses of his level. He was racing again just yesterday, so he's still an active part of trainer Denis Gerard Hogan's Tipperary yard, which has already sent out 54 winners this season. Hogan knows what he's doing with the animal, having spotted that Alfred Tennyson performs best on standard ground and at the mile or thereabouts. When conditions and distance align, the numbers shift noticeably: he's won 2 of his 10 races at his preferred trip, a 20% win rate, compared to his overall 10%. It's not the kind of form that makes headlines, but it's exactly the sort of pattern a trainer learns to work with — run him on the right day at the right distance, and he'll give you a decent race.