Fair Damsel

Her two career wins both came at tracks on the Irish circuit — first at The Curragh in September 2023, then at Killarney in October 2024. That second win, over a year after the first, showed there was still something in the tank. Killarney is a tight, idiosyncratic track where horses who travel well over longer trips tend to thrive, and that fits Fair Damsel's profile. She's at her best over a mile and six furlongs to two miles, winning 1 from 5 races at those distances — a 20% win rate that makes her almost three times more likely to win when she's given enough room to stretch out.

The recent form, however, is harder to put a positive spin on. Her last six runs read 10-5-12-–-–-21, which means her best finish in that stretch is fifth, and her last two recorded positions were a 12th and a 21st. That said, she raced just yesterday, so she is clearly still in training and still being aimed at races — Cian Collins's yard in Navan has sent out 20 winners this season, which is a solid operation that doesn't run horses for the sake of it.

Shane O'Callaghan takes the ride most often, with a win from their 6 races together — a 17% win rate, or roughly 1 in 6, which actually compares favourably to her overall record. The last win is now 21 months ago, which is a long time in racing, and the form line since then hasn't suggested one is imminent. But Fair Damsel is still active, still being pointed at races by a competent yard, and still at her best when the trip is long enough to suit. Stranger things have happened than an eight-year-old finding a bit of form in the right conditions.