Intense Raffles

Trained by Thomas Gibney out of Trim in County Meath, Intense Raffles is part of a yard that has found the winner's enclosure five times already this season, so the operation is clearly in decent form. J J Slevin has been the regular partner, riding the horse in seven of its eleven races and winning once together — roughly 1 in every 7 rides. That is a working partnership rather than a spectacular one, but Slevin clearly knows this horse well enough to keep getting the call.

The trickier part of the picture is the current form. Intense Raffles has not won in six races, and the recent run of results — a sixth, two unplaced efforts, an eighth, a third, and another unplaced — tells the story of a horse that has struggled to recapture its best. The last win came at Fairyhouse on 1 April 2024, which is now two years ago. At eight years old, the clock is not exactly on its side, but age alone does not tell the whole story. The horse has also been stepping up to the top level of racing in Britain and Ireland on three occasions and is yet to trouble the judge there — that is a significant jump in class, and the record of zero wins from three attempts at that level suggests those races may have come a little too soon, or simply against better opposition than suits.

After a short break of 36 days, Intense Raffles heads into its next race with something to prove. The most logical place to look for a revival is back at Fairyhouse, where the track record is almost freakishly good. Two wins from four races there is not a coincidence — it is a pattern worth paying attention to.