Flash Of Fire

The concerning pattern is recent form. Flash Of Fire has not won in its last six races, with results that tell the story of a horse unable to find its feet: a fifth-place finish, then an eighth, then fourth, seventh, second, and fourth again in the most recent outing just a day ago. That second-place finish offers a glimmer of hope, but otherwise the wins have dried up. Over this stretch, the horse has finished out of the frame in four of six races.

There is, however, a clear distance that suits Flash Of Fire. At races between seven furlongs and a mile, the horse has won 1 of its 3 attempts — a 33 percent win rate that stands out sharply against the 14 percent win rate across all distances. That victory came on fast, dry ground at Doncaster, and it is at that distance and on similar conditions where the horse shows its best form. Trainer J. P. Murtagh, based in County Kildare, has had an excellent season with 53 winners from the yard, so the support and horsemanship are clearly there. The question now is whether Flash Of Fire can rediscover the form that produced that Doncaster win and become a consistent winner, or whether it will remain a horse with flashes of promise that rarely convert into silverware.