Jane Eire

The reality since then has been more modest. Jane Eire has gone 20 months without adding to that solitary win, and her last six races tell a flat story — a second place being the only real highlight among a run of mid-table finishes and one eighth. With just 1 win from 12 races, she is winning roughly 1 in every 12 times out, and recent form suggests the gap between her and better horses in her races has been widening rather than closing. She raced just yesterday, so she is very much a horse in the thick of her season.

What keeps things interesting is the yard behind her. De Bromhead, based at Knockeen in County Waterford, has sent out 110 winners already this season — that is a training operation firing on all cylinders, and horses in his care do not tend to hang around without purpose. She noted early on that she was very green in her first few runs, meaning she was still learning the basics of racing rather than performing at her ceiling. Whether there is still untapped improvement in a 6-year-old who has taken time to find her feet, or whether Cork in November 2024 represents her peak, is the question worth watching. The owners, by all accounts, are enthusiastic and willing to travel for the right opportunity. Jane Eire may need to find some of that early Cork sparkle again to justify the ambition.