At six years old, Captain Hanley has at least shown he can get into the frame. Five places from those 24 races means he has finished in the money often enough to suggest he belongs on a racecourse — he just has a habit of finishing just behind the horse that matters most. His recent form tells a similar story: two second-place finishes in his last six runs, sandwiched around a fourth and a sixth. He gets close. He just doesn't get there.
Adam Caffrey has partnered him five times without a win to show for it, so that particular combination hasn't cracked the code either. To be fair to both horse and rider, converting places into wins is one of racing's crueller puzzles — some horses run their best race every time and still find one too good. Captain Hanley may simply be that kind of horse: honest, consistent at a certain level, and perpetually a length or two short of glory.
O'Connell's yard has sent out four winners this season, so the operation clearly knows how to win races. Captain Hanley, raced as recently as yesterday, remains very much in training and very much trying. Whether that first win ever comes is the question — but at 0 from 24, it would be one of the more satisfying moments of the season if it did.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dundalk Galloping |
8 | 1 second, 7 other | 27 Mar | 0% |
| Ballinrobe Sharp |
2 | 2 other | 21 Jul | 0% |
| Tramore Sharp |
2 | 1 third, 1 other | 7 Jul | 0% |
| Tipperary Galloping |
2 | 2 other | 8 Aug | 0% |
| Leopardstown Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 5 Jun | 0% |
| Punchestown Galloping |
1 | 1 second | 7 Jun | 0% |
| Wexford Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 3 Jul | 0% |
| Down Royal Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 21 Jun | 0% |
| Laytown Galloping |
1 | 1 third | 4 Sep | 0% |
| Roscommon Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 13 Oct | 0% |
| Clonmel Sharp |
1 | 1 second | 14 May | 0% |
| Limerick Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 25 Apr | 0% |
| Ayr Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 7 Jul | 0% |
| Kilbeggan Tight |
1 | 1 other | 31 May | 0% |