Grey Leader

What makes this particular horse worth watching is the partnership between trainer R P Burns and jockey Gary Carroll. Together they have a much better record than the overall statistics suggest — Carroll has ridden Grey Leader 15 times and won on four of those occasions, a win rate of 27 per cent. That's nearly three times better than the horse's career average, which hints that when the right jockey is in the saddle, something clicks. Burns runs a small operation at Collinstown in County Westmeath and has been competitive this season with five winners already.

The bright spot in Grey Leader's record came last October at Tipperary, which remains the horse's most recent victory. Before the long dry spell, wins had come at Gowran Park and Tipperary, suggesting the horse performs well at Irish courses. At six years old, Grey Leader is approaching an age where horses either consolidate their form or begin to fade. The current losing run is unsettling, but the strong record between horse and Carroll offers hope that another breakthrough isn't far away — if the pair can find the right race and the right ground.