Fine Print

The bigger story here is how little momentum this horse carries into a race. Recent form reads 2-3-2-6-12-7, which is to say it occasionally places in the first three or four runners home, but its racing life is mostly a parade of mid-field finishes and disappointments. It raced just a day ago and finished second, which tells you it's still actively campaigned despite its poor return—a sign either of optimism or stubbornness on the part of John C McConnell's Stamullen yard. The trainer has had a decent season with 36 winners overall, but Fine Print isn't the horse carrying that banner. Siobhan Rutledge, its most frequent rider, has managed nothing but defeats from six races together.

The one genuine edge Fine Print possesses is a preference for normal ground conditions: it wins roughly one in every six races on standard going (2 from 12), compared to its terrible overall win rate. That's the kind of detail that might interest a trainer looking for a spot to target. For everyone else, this is a horse that hangs around the racecourse like a regular at a bar who never quite seems to have his lucky day.