Captain Hanley

Trained by Eamonn O'Connell out of Cullen in County Tipperary — a yard that has sent out four winners already this season — Captain Hanley has most often been partnered by jockey Adam Caffrey. The two have teamed up five times together without a win, which mirrors the horse's overall record pretty faithfully. It is worth noting that O'Connell's yard is clearly capable of producing winners, so Captain Hanley is not short of support or preparation — this is just a horse that has yet to find the right moment.

He raced just yesterday, which makes him one of the more active horses around right now. His recent form reads two placings in his last six runs, with a second place two runs ago and another second place five runs back, and two runs where he did not feature in the frame at all. There is a flicker of consistency in those placed efforts, but the gaps between them and the winless run stretching back across all six recent races suggest a horse still searching for that breakthrough. At six years old, time is not unlimited — but horses have found winning form later than this, and Captain Hanley clearly keeps trying.