Elusive Duke

What makes Elusive Duke marginally interesting is not what it has won but where it nearly wins. Over distances between one mile and a furlong and one mile and two furlongs, the horse has picked up six places from seven races — that's a respectable rate of being in the frame — with the solitary win included in that tally. The implication is clear: this is a horse that has found its distance, even if victory remains mostly out of reach. Trainer M A Molloy's yard at Thurles has managed to get the horse competitive at this trip, though consistency remains elusive. With only a 6% win rate across 17 races, Elusive Duke is the sort of horse that shows up, runs respectably, and goes home empty-handed more often than not. Recent form tells the story: in the last six races, it has not finished better than second, with a couple of seventh-place efforts mixed in — a run of results that suggests the horse is still searching for that second victory that might finally prove the June win was not simply a one-off.