Centreofattention

In the 30 months since that Wincanton debut, Centreofattention has run six more times without winning, finishing as low as 11th. His recent form figures — 8, 11, then 6 and 8 before that — paint a picture of a horse who is competitive enough to turn up but not quite competitive enough to threaten at the finish. That said, he has only managed 1 win from 7 career races overall, which works out at roughly 1 in every 7 — not a ratio that sets pulses racing, but not so bleak as to write him off entirely.

Where there is genuine reason for optimism is in the distance question. Over 1 mile 6 furlongs to 2 miles, he has won 1 from 3 races — a win rate of 33%, or roughly 1 in every 3, which is a very different horse to the one who disappears into mid-field at other trips. Bolger, who operates out of Bruree in County Limerick and has sent out 14 winners already this season, has noted that he would not be surprised to see Centreofattention stretch out to further than 2 miles in time. That is a trainer quietly flagging that the horse may not yet have found his ideal conditions.

He raced just yesterday, so he is clearly still being kept busy and the yard has not given up on him. At 7, he is no youngster, but horses can take time to find their feet, and there is at least one performance on his record — that snug debut win — to suggest the talent is in there somewhere. Whether he can access it again is the question his next few runs will need to answer.