Howdoyalikeherhome

The form of late tells the familiar story. In his last six races, Howdoyalikeherhome has managed two fourth-place finishes and nothing better. He was last raced just a day ago and came away empty again. With 18 months between his sole win and the present, there is a real question about whether that April afternoon at Down Royal was a genuine breakthrough or simply a fluke in an otherwise relentless stream of near misses.

Trainer John McConnell, based at Stamullen in County Meath, sent her out to that single victory, and his yard has been in decent form this season with 36 winners to its name. Jockey Danny Gilligan has been her most regular partner, riding her seven times and winning once together — a 14% win rate that sits well above her overall record, though a sample of seven races is small enough to mean little. For a horse whose best days, such as they were, appear to be behind him, Howdoyalikeherhome remains active and still trying, even if success has become an almost theoretical possibility.