Carrig Padraig

What stands out is the gap since that Fairyhouse victory. Eleven months have passed without another win, which is a long drought in racing terms. His recent form has been unrewarding. In his last six runs he has finished thirteenth, then gone in the placings once with a fifth and a sixth, but mostly found himself out of the money—a pattern that tells you he is struggling to find a race at the right level. He raced as recently as yesterday, so he is still an active horse, but the form sheet suggests the winning touch has deserted him.

Gavin Cromwell's Navan yard has had a strong season with 96 winners to their name, so there is experience and success in the stable. However, Carrig Padraig has not benefited from a settled partnership in the saddle—his most frequent jockey, Mr D M Fitzgerald, has partnered him five times without a win. At this stage of his career, with one win from ten attempts, Carrig Padraig is a horse trying to prove he belongs in the races he is being entered for. The talent is there, buried in that single Fairyhouse success, but consistency has been elusive.