Love Like This

The recent form makes for sober reading. The last six runs have produced a sixth place and two tenth-place finishes, with three blank results in between, and Love Like This has not threatened to win in any of them. That kind of form suggests a horse running consistently without finding any real spark at the moment, though it is still actively racing — it was out just six days ago, which at least tells you the team at Templemore believe there is still something worth running for.

John Aherne has partnered Love Like This in 10 of those races and the two of them are yet to find the combination that gets them to the front. Ten rides together with no wins is a long run without a breakthrough, though the placing record shows the horse is competitive enough to warrant persisting with. Trainer John Patrick Ryan has had a productive season by any measure — 22 winners sent out from his yard in Templemore, Co Tipperary — which suggests this is a capable operation that knows how to get a horse ready to run. Whether they can find the right opportunity to finally get Love Like This into the winner's enclosure is the question that keeps this story open. At 0 from 40, the win would mean something.