What makes Country Park's blank record more forgivable than it might first appear is the context behind it. Last season, trainer Jonjo O'Neill described him as unlucky not to have won, most notably at Ascot in December when he was travelling well and looking like a real contender before falling two jumps from home. A horse can only run the race in front of it, and that kind of interference leaves a question mark rather than a verdict. The team at the Cheltenham-based yard believe he still has room to improve, and that his comeback run earlier this season was a stepping stone rather than a statement.
He has been partnered by Jonjo O'Neill Jr in 11 of his 14 races — a long-standing working relationship that has yet to produce a win, though the pair keep turning up together which suggests the team still believes in the combination. The yard itself is in decent form this season, having sent out 52 winners, so the infrastructure and confidence is there. Country Park has mainly competed at Class 4 level — solid, mid-tier racing — without winning any of his six races at that grade. He raced just yesterday, so he is very much an active project rather than a horse running out of road. Whether this is finally the season that first win arrives remains to be seen, but the story is not yet written.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascot Galloping |
3 | 1 second, 2 other | 15 Feb | 0% |
| Ludlow Undulating |
1 | 1 other | 24 Apr | 0% |
| Aintree Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 4 Apr | 0% |
| Market Rasen Sharp |
1 | 1 third | 14 Oct | 0% |
| Southwell Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 18 Feb | 0% |
| Sedgefield Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 26 Dec | 0% |
| Chepstow Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 2 Apr | 0% |
| Worcester Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 22 May | 0% |
| Cheltenham Galloping |
1 | 1 second | 17 Nov | 0% |
| Uttoxeter Sharp |
1 | 1 second | 15 Jun | 0% |
| Carlisle Undulating |
1 | 1 third | 17 Oct | 0% |
| Ffos Las Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 30 May | 0% |