Malton Groove

What makes this more than just a tale of near-misses is who Malton Groove is related to. Trainer Dermot McLoughlin has pointed out that the horse shares three-quarters of his bloodline with Minella Times — the horse that won the 2021 Grand National. That is serious breeding, the kind that carries genuine expectation. McLoughlin has spoken about Malton Groove being a slow developer, physically backward in his earlier years, and has suggested that the horse has been gradually maturing into the animal his pedigree always promised. Whether that promise ever translates into a win remains the question.

Regular jockey Patrick M O'Brien has been aboard for 12 of those 35 races together and is still waiting for a first win with him — a partnership that has produced plenty of effort but no reward yet. The yard itself is in decent form, having sent out 10 winners this season from McLoughlin's base in Ratoath, Co Meath, so it is not as though the operation is struggling. Malton Groove raced just yesterday and his recent run of results — two placed efforts among his last six outings — suggests he is at least competitive without being able to close the deal.

At nine years old, the window is narrowing. But for McLoughlin and the team at Bodeen, the hope appears to be that a horse with this much quality in his family tree owes racing one good day.