Fast Tara

That solitary win came at Bellewstown in April 2023, and it remains the only one on the record. Thirty-nine months have passed since then, and despite racing regularly, Fast Tara hasn't managed to repeat it. The last six runs read 4-9-3-3-6-9 — two thirds, a fourth, but also a couple of disappointing nines. There are flickers of form in there, but nothing that suggests a breakthrough is imminent.

Where Fast Tara does show up most consistently is over distances of seven furlongs to a mile. In 13 races at those trips, it has won once and placed several times — a win rate of around 1 in 13 at its preferred distance, or 8%. That's still modest, but it's meaningfully better than its overall record, and it tells you the yard knows where to look for opportunities.

The trainer is Paul W Flynn, based in Colehill, Co Longford. Flynn's yard has sent out 22 winners this season, so this isn't a small or struggling operation — Fast Tara simply hasn't been the one delivering the results. Ben Coen is the jockey most associated with the horse, riding it in 9 of its 28 races and partnering it to its one career win. That's a win rate of roughly 1 in every 9 rides together, or 11% — well above Fast Tara's overall average, which suggests the combination at least gives it its best chance.

Fast Tara raced just yesterday, so it's clearly being kept busy. For a horse with one win from 28 starts, the question isn't really whether it can be brilliant — it's whether it can find the right race, on the right day, to be just good enough. It has done it once before.