Maidenstreetprince

The horse's recent form tells a familiar story. In its last six outings, Maidenstreetprince has produced a second place and two thirds but no wins—finishing eleventh in its most recent race. Philip Byrnes, the jockey who has ridden the horse most often, has managed just one victory from 20 races together. That 5% win rate together is marginally better than the horse's overall record, but not by much. Maidenstreetprince runs for trainer C Byrnes at Ballingarry in County Limerick, a yard that has been far more successful elsewhere this season, sending out 26 winners from its other runners.

What keeps Maidenstreetprince in work is clearly its ability to place regularly—it has picked up ten minor placings in its recent races and finishes in the frame often enough to stay competitive in the lower levels of racing. But for a horse nearly a decade old, the long absence from the winner's enclosure is hard to ignore. Still racing and still able to run a race, it remains a consistent if unspectacular performer on the Irish circuit, the kind of horse that turns up at tracks like Limerick with no great expectation but occasionally runs well enough to collect a prize.