Esticky End

The most recent win came at Dundalk in December 2024, which is now about 18 months ago and counting, with nothing in the last 6 races to suggest another is imminent. Recent form reads as a string of mid-pack finishes — fifths and sixths — and a couple of blank runs mixed in. It raced just one day ago, so this is very much a horse still in active service, still being asked the question. The answer just hasn't been yes for a while.

What the record does reveal is that Esticky End has a clear preference for certain conditions. On normal ground it has won 2 of 15 races, which is 13% — not spectacular, but meaningfully better than its overall average. More interesting still is what happens when it runs over seven furlongs to a mile: 2 wins from 6 races, which is 1 in every 3. That is a striking number for a horse whose general record is so much thinner, and it suggests there is a version of Esticky End — the right trip, the right ground — that is genuinely competitive. The challenge for trainer Tom McGuinness is finding that combination often enough. His yard has sent out just one winner this season, so it is a relatively quiet operation overall.

Regular jockey Dylan Robinson has ridden the horse 8 times without getting it to the line first, which is a frustrating partnership on paper. Esticky End tends to line up at Class 6, the entry level of British racing, where it has won 2 from 11. That context matters: this is not a horse competing for big prizes, but it is not supposed to be. It is a seasoned, workmanlike competitor that earns its keep at the grassroots of the sport, and on its day — particularly at that ideal trip on a decent surface — it is still capable of winning a race.