High Honour

The interesting angle is the ground. High Honour absolutely lights up when the going is wet or muddy: it has won 2 of its 5 races on those conditions, a 40% win rate that stands in stark contrast to its overall record. This is not a coincidence. Most horses have preferences, but this is a clear pattern. Trainer Donal Kinsella at Dunleer, Co Louth, will have this information front and centre. The problem is simply finding enough wet-ground races to suit it. When the ground is firm or normal, High Honour struggles visibly—it has not won on anything else.

There is also a sense that High Honour runs best when given a mile and a bit to work with: it has won 1 of its last 3 races over distances between 1m1f and 1m2f, suggesting it may lack the turn of foot for sprints. John Shinnick is its regular rider, though that partnership has produced only 1 win from 12 races together. Still, the horse raced just a day ago and remains active, so there is life in it yet. Whether it will win again depends entirely on whether the rain falls and the yard can match it to a suitable race. If they do, High Honour is capable of springing a surprise.