Granda George

Trained by Eoin Christopher McCarthy at Athea in County Limerick, Granda George is part of a yard that has sent out 15 winners already this season, so he is working alongside horses that are winning races regularly. That context matters: his lack of a win suggests he sits toward the lower end of the stable's ability. His second-place finish in his second-most recent race offers a glimmer — he came close — but in racing, close counts for nothing. At nine years old and still racing, he is a veteran by now, and the fact he is still being run suggests either genuine hope that he might yet win, or that he has found a role as a reliable if unsuccessful campaigner. Either way, with no win yet to his name after five attempts, the odds are growing longer each time he heads to the track.