Calamint

The trouble is that nothing has come through since. Nearly twenty-nine months have passed without another victory, and the most recent form tells a sobering story: ninth place, then eleventh, then fifth, then third, then eighth, with a second just a day ago. That second place is the gleam in an otherwise murky run, proof that Calamint can still compete and still get close — but close is not enough at this level. Over twenty-one races, the horse has accumulated four places alongside that solitary win, giving it a win rate of just 5 per cent, which means it wins roughly 1 race in every 20 starts. That is a horse that has spent most of its career running without reward.

Adrian Murray's yard at Rathowen has had a productive season with 26 winners, so the trainer is not short of firepower elsewhere. For Calamint, the path forward is clear: return to Naas if possible, stick to races at 1m1f or 1m2f where the record is better, and hope that another chance comes before age or circumstance takes it away. The recent second place shows the horse has not given up, and at a track where it has won before, it could yet find another. But time is moving on, and the longer the drought lasts, the harder it becomes to reverse.