Comeonarchie

The more encouraging detail is how Comeonarchie fares with Mr J R Martin in the saddle. Together they have won 1 of their 8 races — a 12% return, double the horse's overall record. That's enough to suggest the pair have something that clicks, even if it is only a handful of races. His recent form has been mixed: a placed finish two runs ago, but mostly midfield efforts that suggest he is getting older and the races are getting no easier. He was last out just a day ago, still grinding away, still competing, which speaks to a horse and trainer willing to keep trying even when the wins are sparse.

Trained by F G Hand from an undisclosed yard, Comeonarchie sits within a small team — the stable has sent out just two winners all season — so his December victory at Punchestown was a meaningful moment for the yard. At nine years old and with only one win to his name after 18 races, Comeonarchie is a veteran campaigner who knows what racing is about but has spent his career just outside the winner's enclosure. The profile is that of a solid, genuine horse: useful enough to be competitive, but ultimately one of racing's nearly horses, the kind that keeps trainers and jockeys hoping each time out.