What saves the story from being entirely grim is Bath. On that particular track in Somerset, Apache Star transforms into something resembling a different horse entirely — 2 wins from 8 races there works out to 1 in every 4, which dwarfs the overall career average. For a horse this hard to win with, finding a track where it genuinely thrives is no small thing. The most recent of those Bath victories came in August 2023, which is now almost three years ago and counting, but the affinity with the course is real enough to be worth noting.
The partnership with jockey Billy Loughnane has so far produced nothing — 0 wins from 12 races together — though that reflects the horse's general reluctance to win rather than any particular failing on Loughnane's part. Trainer E D Delany operates out of Laytown in Co Meath and has sent out 5 winners this season, so the yard is clearly capable of getting horses ready to win. Apache Star, competing almost exclusively at Class 6 — the lowest tier of British racing — has won just 2 of 21 races at that level, a 10% rate, or roughly 1 in 10. That is a reminder that even at the most accessible level of the sport, winning is genuinely difficult.
Apache Star raced just yesterday, so this is a horse very much in the thick of a busy campaign. The first career win came at Wolverhampton on 27 December 2021, a decent early sign that never quite grew into anything more. Twenty places from 49 races suggest a horse that is competitive enough to be in the mix without ever quite delivering — the sort of frustrating profile that keeps a trainer entering and a punter hoping, but rarely rewards either.
| Course | Races | Results | Last run | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolverhampton Galloping |
14 | 1 win, 6 thirds, 7 other | 18 Mar | 7.1% |
| Bath Undulating |
8 | 2 wins, 2 seconds, 1 third, 3 other | 31 Oct | 25% |
| Nottingham Galloping |
5 | 2 seconds, 3 other | 16 Oct | 0% |
| Southwell Galloping |
5 | 1 second, 1 third, 3 other | 9 Apr | 0% |
| Lingfield Park Sharp |
3 | 3 other | 22 Jul | 0% |
| Navan Galloping |
2 | 2 other | 25 Apr | 0% |
| Bellewstown Sharp |
2 | 2 other | 3 Jul | 0% |
| Fairyhouse Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 28 May | 0% |
| Doncaster Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 30 Jul | 0% |
| Chester Tight |
1 | 1 other | 13 Jul | 0% |
| Musselburgh Sharp |
1 | 1 third | 29 Jun | 0% |
| Goodwood Undulating |
1 | 1 other | 30 Apr | 0% |
| Catterick Bridge Sharp |
1 | 1 third | 28 May | 0% |
| Naas Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 24 Jun | 0% |
| Carlisle Undulating |
1 | 1 other | 30 May | 0% |
| Leicester Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 29 Jun | 0% |
| Chepstow Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 26 Jul | 0% |