Half A Chance

That one career win came at Limerick on 30 May 2024, and it remains the sole entry on the honours board. Two years have now passed since that day, which gives you a sense of just how stubborn the drought has become. The recent form figures — two third-place finishes bookending a fourth, a tenth, and another fourth — paint a picture of a horse that is rarely disgraced but hasn't found the extra gear needed to get back in front. A tenth-place finish stands out as the low point, but the returns either side of it show the horse bouncing back, which is something.

Paddy Hanlon has been the regular partner, riding Half A Chance in 13 of its 20 races and sharing that single win at Limerick. Together they've won just 1 in 13, which is a modest 8% win rate, though the consistency of the partnership at least suggests the team know each other well. The trainer is John Joseph Hanlon, based in Bagenalstown, Co Carlow — a yard that has sent out 11 winners already this season, so the operation is clearly capable of producing results. Whether Half A Chance can add to that tally is the open question. With a race just yesterday and the horse still active, the answer may not be far away — though after 24 months without a win, patience is very much part of the deal with this one.