Dearg Mor

Trained by Aidan Anthony Howard at Curragh in Co Kildare, Dearg Mor raced just yesterday, so this is very much a horse in active campaigning. Howard's yard has sent out 2 winners this season, a modest tally that suggests a small or developing operation rather than one of the major powerhouses of Irish racing. For a yard at that level, finding the right race to unlock a horse like Dearg Mor — one that clearly has some ability, given it has never finished further back than thirteenth — becomes a puzzle worth solving.

The fourth-place finish is the closest Dearg Mor has come to a reward, and in racing terms, fourth means nothing in terms of prize money or form figures. But it does hint that on the right day, in the right race, there might be a result lurking. Whether that day comes is the question every owner and trainer asks about a horse that keeps running without delivering.