Hickeys Hill

What is striking is the gap since that sole win. Eleven months have passed without another success, and his recent form makes for difficult reading. In his last six races, he has finished outside the frame five times — including ninth, twelfth and seventh-place finishes — with only one placed effort in that stretch, a fifth at his most recent outing. This pattern suggests the horse has been struggling to find the form that delivered that win at Fairyhouse, and his the yard have yet to engineer another breakthrough.

Andrew McNamara, training from Athboy in County Meath, has saddled 7 winners this season despite Hickeys Hill's modest contribution. The yard clearly knows how to get horses to the winning post, which leaves open the question of whether Hickeys Hill will find his way back there, or whether that single October victory will remain the highlight of his career.