An Peann Dearg

The horse has become a Leopardstown specialist, winning two of his five races at the Dublin track. That is a notable record at a course where consistency matters, and it hints at what Paul Nolan's yard in Wexford has seen: a horse that has battled through various problems over the years but is now running with a sharpness that wasn't there before. Sean O'Keeffe, who has ridden him in eight races, has won twice from that partnership — a 25% win rate that towers above the horse's overall record and suggests jockey and horse have found a working understanding.

The recent form is tougher to read. An Peann Dearg has not won in his last six races and was last out just a day ago, finishing eleventh. At nine years old and with only two career wins, he remains a modest performer, but Nolan clearly believes there is more to come. The trainer has said the horse surprised him with those two wins, that he has "come alive of late," and that he carries "a decent squeak" in bigger races. For a horse who spent years struggling, that is not nothing. An Peann Dearg remains active and, at Leopardstown at least, remains dangerous.