Da Capo Glory

The recent form tells an interesting tale. Reading the last six runs from most recent backwards — fifth, second, second, a blank, eighth, third — there is a horse that keeps turning up near the front without quite getting there. Two runner-up finishes in that sequence suggest Da Capo Glory is competitive and not fading with age, just waiting for things to fall right. Raced just one day ago, this is clearly a horse that is kept busy and fit.

The partnership with Mr D Allen is worth noting. In 11 races together, they have won 3 — that is a win rate of 27%, or roughly 1 in every 4 rides. For context, the overall career win rate is 1 in 6, so Allen clearly gets the best out of this horse. When those two line up together, opponents would be wise to take notice.

Behind the scenes, Padraig Butler runs the operation out of Bandon in County Cork. The yard has sent out 4 winners already this season, which shows it is in decent form. Butler is evidently not shy of keeping a nine-year-old active — Da Capo Glory raced just yesterday — and that suggests genuine belief that there is more to come. The first career win came at Galway back in October 2021, and the last at Cork, so there is a track record of performing at real venues when the moment arrives.

Whether a fifth career win is coming soon is the open question. The form says this horse is running well enough — two seconds in recent outings is not the profile of a spent force. Sometimes a horse just needs one race where everything clicks, and with a proven jockey partnership and an active yard behind it, Da Capo Glory looks every bit capable of making that happen.