Black Soul

The one bright spot is that Down Royal win, and it came in a long-distance race. Over two miles or more, Black Soul has won 1 from 13 races — 8% — which doubles its overall win rate and tells you something useful: this is a horse that needs time and distance to show its best. Stamina appears to be its strongest card, even if it hasn't been enough to reach the winner's post more than once.

Recent form, though, makes for sobering reading. The last six runs include a finish of 11th, and the five before that are marked with dashes suggesting non-completions or pulled-up runs — a sequence that raises questions about whether this horse is in the best of form heading into what comes next. It raced just one day ago, so it is very much still active, but the momentum is not there.

Conor Houlihan trains Black Soul from a yard in Dungarven, Co. Waterford, a small operation that has sent out three winners this season. It's a modest tally, and Black Soul's record reflects the kind of horse that keeps a yard busy without often delivering the reward. What the team will be hoping for is another day like Down Royal — a long trip, the right conditions, and a horse that suddenly remembers what it felt like to win.