Cuban Grey

The most striking thing about Cuban Grey is what happens when the rain arrives. On wet or muddy ground, this horse has won 2 of just 4 races — a 50% record that is genuinely remarkable. Most horses either handle soft conditions or they don't; Cuban Grey actively thrives in them. When the skies open before a race, this is suddenly a very different proposition.

There is also a real attachment to The Curragh, Ireland's most famous flat racing venue. Two wins from 5 races there is a strong return for any horse, and it suggests Cuban Grey responds well to the track's wide, sweeping layout. Course specialists are real — some horses simply click with a particular place — and The Curragh appears to bring out the best in this one.

Jockey Rory Mulligan has clearly built up a useful understanding with Cuban Grey. Their record together reads 3 wins from 13 races — that is nearly 1 in every 4, which comfortably outperforms the horse's overall average. When Mulligan is in the saddle, Cuban Grey tends to show up. Trainer Patrick J McKenna, based in Dungannon, Co Tyrone, has sent out 4 winners already this season, and Cuban Grey is central to that tally — having won at Dundalk just this week, as recently as you can get.

The recent form tells a tidy story: a win, then a handful of placed efforts either side of it. Cuban Grey is not a horse that dominates races, but it keeps finishing in the mix, collecting prize money and keeping the yard busy. With 24 places from 52 races alongside those 7 wins, this is a horse that rarely runs badly — it just occasionally runs brilliantly. At 6 years old and racing as recently as yesterday, there is clearly still plenty of appetite left in the tank.