Fond Farewell

Where there is genuine encouragement is at a distance of around a mile and three to a mile and four furlongs. At that trip, Fond Farewell has won 1 from 5 races — a 20% win rate, or roughly 1 in every 5 — which is a dramatically better record than the overall career numbers suggest. For a horse that otherwise wins 1 in 17, finding a distance where that number jumps to 1 in 5 is significant. It suggests this is a horse that needs conditions set up just right, and when they are, it becomes a different proposition entirely.

The yard behind Fond Farewell — Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, operating out of Oldcastle in Cheshire — is in strong form this season, having sent out 43 winners. That is a stable with confidence and momentum behind it, and the fact that Fond Farewell raced just yesterday suggests the team see some reason to keep it active. Whether another win is coming is an open question, but for a horse whose sole career victory came on the right day at the right trip, the recipe at least exists. The challenge is finding it again.