Gobi Star

The problem is that last win at Dundalk came on 29 November 2023 — now more than 32 months ago. Since then, across the last six races, the finishing positions read 14, 17, 13, 16, 10, 13. Those are mid-to-tail-of-the-field efforts, and they paint a picture of a horse that has not been threatening to trouble the judge for some time. Still, Gobi Star raced just yesterday, so the team at James M Barcoe's yard in Gowran, Co. Kilkenny is clearly keeping faith. Barcoe's yard has sent out 7 winners already this season, so there is form in the stable — it is just not coming from this particular horse right now.

One thing the record does confirm is a clear preference for normal ground conditions. All three of Gobi Star's course wins at Dundalk came on a normal surface, and across 16 races on that kind of ground the horse has won 3 times — again that 1-in-5 ratio that stands well above the career average. When the conditions are right and the venue is right, the profile of a winner is still there on paper.

Jack Kearney has been the most successful jockey in the saddle, winning 2 of their 9 races together — roughly 1 in every 4 or 5, which is a notably better return than most partnerships this horse has had. Whether that combination finds its way back to Dundalk on decent ground remains to be seen, but those are the three ingredients that have historically unlocked the best of Gobi Star. Right now the horse is in a lean spell, but the record says the spark is in there somewhere.