The last six runs paint a picture of a horse treading water: twelfth, eleventh, ninth, fifth, ninth, and then a second-place finish most recently. That runner-up effort came closest to breaking the drought. Luke McAteer has been the main jockey, and interestingly, he has won 1 of 6 races aboard Fox In Flight — a win rate of roughly 1 in 6, which is significantly better than the horse's overall figures suggest McAteer may have found something with the pairing. Trainer David Marnane, based at Bansha in Tipperary, runs a productive yard with 21 winners sent out this season already, so Fox In Flight is not lacking for competent horsemanship.
The real story here is the gap: nine months without a win is a long drought for any racehorse, especially one still young enough to improve. That second place yesterday hints the horse is competitive, but competitive is not the same as winning. Some horses bounce back after a near-miss like that. Others do not. Fox In Flight will need to turn one of those places into a win soon, or it risks becoming a career plodder — useful for a place bet, perhaps, but never quite the winner its the yard need it to be.
| Course | Races | Results | Last run | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dundalk Galloping |
6 | 1 win, 1 second, 2 thirds, 2 other | 15 Aug | 16.7% |
| The Curragh Galloping |
4 | 4 other | 27 Jun | 0% |
| Cork Galloping |
4 | 1 second, 3 other | 9 Sep | 0% |