What keeps the yard persevering is harder to answer from the outside, though a second-place finish in his recent form does at least suggest he can get competitive when things fall right. His last six races read as a mixed picture — a couple of blanks, a fifth, a second, and a fourth — which is the form of a horse that occasionally shows up but rarely threatens to change the narrative. He raced just yesterday, which confirms that Thornton's team clearly still believe there's a race in him somewhere.
His most regular partner in the saddle is Miss E J Sweeney, who has ridden him in 25 of his 30 races without managing to land a winner between them. That kind of loyalty between horse and rider is not unusual in smaller yards, but 25 races together with nothing to show for it is a long road. Karl Thornton has sent out four winners this season from his Skerries base, so the yard clearly knows how to win — Attaboyarchie just hasn't been the one delivering them. At nine, time is not on his side, but he raced yesterday, he's still placing occasionally, and for now at least, the team haven't given up.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairyhouse Galloping |
10 | 1 second, 1 third, 8 other | 14 Jan | 0% |
| Navan Galloping |
3 | 1 second, 2 other | 8 Feb | 0% |
| Sligo Sharp |
3 | 3 other | 9 Jun | 0% |
| Limerick Galloping |
3 | 3 other | 21 May | 0% |
| Wexford Sharp |
2 | 1 second, 1 other | 31 May | 0% |
| Down Royal Galloping |
2 | 1 second, 1 other | 12 Apr | 0% |
| Punchestown Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 31 Dec | 0% |
| Perth Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 13 May | 0% |
| Downpatrick Undulating |
1 | 1 other | 5 May | 0% |
| Leopardstown Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 3 Mar | 0% |
| Naas Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 8 Feb | 0% |
| Bellewstown Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 23 Aug | 0% |
| Galway Tight |
1 | 1 other | 28 Jul | 0% |