The recent form makes for tougher reading. Over the last six races, Fairyland Opera hasn't won, with finishes of 18th, 7th, 10th, 7th, 3rd, and a pulled-up run suggesting the horse has found things difficult to recapture since that April breakthrough. A run 13 months ago remains the career highlight, and getting back to that level is the challenge now.
John Shinnick is the regular partner in the saddle, and that combination has produced the one win from five races together — a rate of 1 in 5, which is actually a decent return compared to how the horse performs overall. It's a meaningful pairing, and when Fairyland Opera does run its best race, Shinnick tends to be aboard. The horse is trained by Mrs Lorna Fowler at her yard in Summerhill, Co Meath, a small operation that has sent out three winners so far this season — so they know how to get a horse ready to win when the moment is right.
Raced just yesterday, Fairyland Opera is clearly an active runner. The team keeps putting it out there, and the combination of places on the board and a winning memory at Tramore gives them something to aim at. Whether the horse can find that level again is the open question.
| Course | Races | Results | Last run | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naas Galloping |
4 | 1 second, 2 thirds, 1 other | 7 Feb | 0% |
| Tramore Sharp |
1 | 1 win | 13 Apr | 100% |
| Punchestown Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 30 Apr | 0% |
| Cork Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 10 May | 0% |
| Navan Galloping |
1 | 1 second | 22 Mar | 0% |
| Fairyhouse Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 11 Oct | 0% |
| Thurles Undulating |
1 | 1 other | 20 Nov | 0% |
| Tipperary Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 9 May | 0% |
| Down Royal Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 26 Dec | 0% |