Midnight Eagle

That one win did come, at Limerick on 10 April 2025, and it represents the high point of what has otherwise been a career spent placing without quite getting over the line. Five places from 23 races tells you Midnight Eagle is competitive enough to be in the mix — just not often sharp enough to win it.

The recent form makes for mixed reading. The most recent run produced a second place, which is encouraging, but before that there was a third, and then a string of finishes in the mid-to-high teens — 14th, 12th, and 15th — which suggests a horse running inconsistently. The second place just one day ago is at least a sign of life, and the form is clearly moving in the right direction again after some difficult outings.

What is perhaps most telling is the record with regular jockey Cian Cullinan: 0 wins from 10 races together. That is not a criticism of either horse or rider — sometimes a pairing just does not click into the winning column — but it does mean the partnership, however familiar, has yet to produce the result both would want. Trainer Andrew McNamara, based in Athboy in County Meath, has sent out 7 winners this season, so the yard clearly knows how to get a horse to win. The question is whether Midnight Eagle, now 15 months on from its only career victory, can find a way to add a second.