Mercurial

The numbers tell the story. Mercurial wins roughly 1 in every 33 races. At the shorter distances it prefers — 5 furlongs to 6½ furlongs — that improves to 1 in every 14 attempts, which is why those trips are where the yard keeps trying it. But even there, the wins do not come. Most troubling is the recent form: three, eight, two, four, nine, two from the last six outings reads like the record of a horse running out of ideas. Raced just yesterday and finished third, Mercurial is still out there plugging away, but there is a weariness to that record — a lot of running, very little winning.

Sean D Bowen, who rides the horse most often, has partnered it 18 times without a success, which raises a quiet question about whether Mercurial and this particular jockey have ever quite clicked. John J Nallen's yard has had a decent season overall with five winners, but this horse has not been the source of any of them. When Mercurial does get to Class 4 — the level just below the top tier — it has failed to win from three attempts. It is a modest record for a horse now in its eighth year, but Mercurial keeps turning up, keeps trying, and keeps finding a way to pick up the occasional place. That one win at The Curragh stands as proof that it is capable of getting there. Getting back there is another matter entirely.