Drumcondra

What makes this slightly puzzling is that Carroll is clearly no struggling trainer. His yard has sent out 22 winners already this season, so the horses around Drumcondra are clearly performing. Jockey Zak Wheatley has partnered the horse seven times without a win, which is a long run together without a breakthrough — though loyalty between horse and rider can sometimes pay off when the right race finally comes along.

Drumcondra has been tried three times at Class 4 level — a mid-tier level of racing, not the glamour end of the sport — and has yet to get off the mark there either. Racing just yesterday, the horse is clearly still active and being kept busy by the team, which at least signals they haven't given up on finding the right opportunity. Sometimes a horse simply needs everything to fall into place: the right conditions, the right track, the right day. Drumcondra is still looking for all three.