Maxwell Smart

Ridden mostly by James Ryan, the pair have struck up a working relationship that occasionally pays off: Ryan has ridden the horse nine times and won once with it, a rate that sits above Maxwell Smart's overall win rate of roughly 1 in every 34 races. Trained by T G McCourt at Stamullen in County Meath, the yard is in decent form this season with 13 winners already to its name. Maxwell Smart seems to run best at the longer distances—anything from a mile and six furlongs to two miles—and that is where the one win came. Over those distances it has won 1 from 22 races (5%), which is actually double its career rate, suggesting that the extra ground suits it better than shorter trips.

Recent form has been quiet. In the last six races, Maxwell Smart has managed one third-place finish and one fourth, but mostly it has been battling lower down the field. The horse was out just a day ago, which means the yard is keeping it active and looking for another opening. At five years old and with just one win from 36 races, Maxwell Smart is the sort of honest, hardworking horse that keeps racing because it still has something to offer, even if a second victory might be a long time in coming.