Kilkee Bay

The encouraging bit is his recent form. After a couple of quiet runs earlier in the autumn, Kilkee Bay has shown some spark. He finished second two races ago and fifth most recently, with an eighth somewhere in between and a blank last time out. It is not exactly a winning streak, but it suggests he is competitive at whatever level he is running at. At seven years old, he knows his job and is still sound enough to race regularly — he was in action just days ago.

Trained by E McNamara at Rathkeale in County Limerick, Kilkee Bay runs for a yard that has already sent out 22 winners this season, so the horse is at least in a stable doing its job properly. Whether he will add a second win to his career record is another matter. That June victory at Roscommon now sits four months in the past, and while he is clearly not finished as a racehorse, he appears to be one of those honest, moderate types who will probably never win more than a couple of races in his life. He is the kind of horse you might own if you loved racing for the love of it rather than the money.