Deluca Chop

The clearest sign of current form is that Deluca Chop has won two of its last six races, the most recent a successful effort at Down Royal on 20 June, now two months in the past. The most recent six runs show an up-and-down pattern — a third place just yesterday, then a fifth, a win, consecutive placings at first and second, and another third — the kind of inconsistency that marks a horse trying hard but not reliably delivering. Interestingly, the horse's regular partner Shane Foley, who has ridden it six times, has yet to hit the winner's circle aboard; those six rides have yielded no victories, suggesting a potential mismatch, or simply that Foley has often been in the saddle during tougher assignments.

The arc of Deluca Chop's career has been slow and modest. Its first win came at Dundalk in February 2023, a breakthrough moment after what must have been early setbacks. Since then, it has added just two more victories in the three and a half years that have followed, a thin return that reflects how difficult it is for horses at this level to keep winning races. Yet the recent uptick — two wins in six races — suggests the horse may have found a level where it can be competitive, especially if the yard keep it at the distance where it has shown its best form. At seven years old, with a long racing life behind it, Deluca Chop is at least proving it still has something to offer, and yesterday's run, though a third, came just a day ago, indicating a horse still actively campaigned and still capable of improvement.