Eclipse Chaser

That Navan win remains the defining moment of the career so far. It was the first time Eclipse Chaser had reached the winner's enclosure, and the fact that it came at a track the horse has now returned to suggests a real affinity with the place. Whether the team can unlock that same performance again is the question hanging over the immediate future.

What gives the story an interesting edge is who is involved. Willie Mullins, based at Muine Bheag in County Carlow, is one of the most powerful training operations in the sport — his yard has sent out 215 winners already this season alone. A horse in that stable isn't short of expertise or opportunity. Paul Townend, who rides for the yard regularly and is widely regarded as one of the best jockeys around, has partnered Eclipse Chaser in 5 of its 10 races, winning once — that's a 1-in-5 win rate together, which is actually a solid return even if the wider record looks modest.

The most telling insight came recently from Mullins himself. After Eclipse Chaser ran in a Grade 3 race at Navan — one step down from the very top level — he suggested the horse had simply run out of steam, and that faster, drier ground might suit it better. The implication is clear: this is a horse being aimed slightly too high at the moment, and one that might benefit from easier opportunities and better conditions underfoot. Sometimes the most useful thing a trainer can do is be honest about where a horse belongs, and Mullins appears to be doing exactly that. With the right race on the right day, Eclipse Chaser looks capable of adding to that solitary win.