Darkness

That puzzle is something David O'Meara's yard in Upper Helmsley, North Yorkshire, knows well. O'Meara is having a strong season — 101 winners sent out already — but even a trainer running hot admits that Darkness has always done things his own way. He likes to race prominently, up near the front, but when the race doesn't unfold that way he can become uncooperative and run well below his best. Jockey Hollie Doyle put it neatly after a run at Epsom: he has plenty of ability, it is just a question of getting it out of him on the day.

The one area where the puzzle becomes clearest is on dry ground. On fast, firm conditions Darkness has won 4 times from 16 races — a 25% win rate, or roughly 1 in every 4 attempts. That is a transformed horse compared to the animal who turns up on wet or normal ground, and it is a number that would get any shrewd racegoer paying attention when a dry summer forecast coincides with an entry at the right track. His first career win came at Newmarket in July 2023, and his best moments have tended to come when the ground is riding quick.

His recent form makes for difficult reading — his last six races show finishing positions of 18th, 7th, 6th, 10th, 11th, and 12th, which is a long way removed from that Goodwood success last August. Regular partner Jason Watson has ridden him 13 times for just the 1 win between them, a win rate of around 8%. The ability is evidently still there — he raced just yesterday, so the yard clearly believe there is another big day left in him. Whether that day comes on the right ground, in the right race, with the right run of things early on, is the question that has followed Darkness throughout his career.