That said, the early signs were encouraging. On debut, he finished second in a race at Aintree, and then ran respectably at Cheltenham on New Year's Day — beaten by only six lengths in a listed race, which is one step below the very top tier of British racing. Finishing within six lengths in that company is no disgrace, and it suggested there was a horse worth persisting with. The trainer, Jonjo O'Neill, has been clear-eyed about what happened next: a poor run over hurdles that he puts down to the horse not being right physically when he came home. That kind of honesty from a trainer is worth something — it's an explanation, not an excuse, and the plan is to give Danger Nap time to recover before asking questions of him again.
Jonjo O'Neill Jr has been in the saddle for six of those eight races and is yet to ride him to a win — a combination that has tried hard without reward. The yard itself is in decent form, having sent out 51 winners this season, so the support structure is there. Whether Danger Nap can finally convert that early promise into a win remains the open question. He raced just yesterday, so the yard are clearly keeping him busy. A first win is overdue — the next few races will tell us whether it's coming.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwell Galloping |
2 | 1 third, 1 other | 9 Jun | 0% |
| Aintree Galloping |
2 | 1 second, 1 other | 26 Oct | 0% |
| Doncaster Galloping |
2 | 2 other | 23 Jan | 0% |
| Cheltenham Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 1 Jan | 0% |
| Warwick Sharp |
1 | 1 second | 9 May | 0% |