Desert Friend

What makes the current moment interesting is that Desert Friend has found a second wind lately. Two wins from the last six races is a sharp improvement on that overall average, and when you look at the recent form — a win, then a third, then another win, sandwiched around a couple of disappointing runs — there is clearly a horse that can still produce on the right day. The most recent victory came at Sligo just four weeks ago, and with a race logged only yesterday, this is very much a horse in active training and being aimed at targets by trainer P J F Murphy.

Murphy operates out of Castlecomer in County Kilkenny and has sent out four winners already this season, so the yard is in decent form. The fact that he keeps running Desert Friend regularly suggests he believes there is more to come. Ben Coen is the jockey most associated with the horse, though their partnership has produced just 1 win from 8 races together — around 1 in every 8 — which is modest, and interestingly the recent winners may have come with other riders in the saddle.

Desert Friend first won at Listowel back in June 2022, which means this horse has been competitive and winning races across a four-year stretch. For a 10-year-old to still be running, winning, and racing as recently as yesterday is genuinely impressive. Horses at this age often tail off, but Desert Friend seems to be one of those rare animals that keeps finding reasons to keep going — and right now, with two wins in the last six outings, the form figures suggest the best time to be watching might be right now.