Monzoon

Both of those wins have come at Dundalk, his spiritual home. In 15 races there he has won twice — a 12% return that is genuinely strong by his own standards, and strong enough to make Dundalk the one place where punters might sit up slightly when his name appears on a card. His first win came in October 2021, but the longer and more telling story is his last one: November 2023, now nearly two and a half years ago. That gap matters. He has not won since, through six consecutive races without a top-three finish. Now, after three months off the track, he is back in training with P Sweeney at Letterkenny, Co Donegal, a yard that has already sent out six winners this season.

The recent form reads 14-13-9-10-12-13 in his last six outings — all double-figure placings, the kind of consistency that suggests a horse comfortable in the middle of the field but unable to find another gear when it counts. Interestingly, Monzoon runs best on normal ground: he has won both his races on standard conditions, and two wins from 16 attempts on such going represents his best-kept statistic. He seems to find softer or faster ground less to his liking.

If there is a wrinkle in the picture, it is that Patrick McGettigan, who rides him most often, has yet to taste victory aboard him. Five rides, five blanks. Whether that is coincidence, bad luck, or a genuine mismatch between horse and jockey is impossible to say from the numbers alone. What is clear is that Monzoon is a horse for Dundalk, for normal ground, and for the patient. He is the kind of runner who will occasionally reward faith, but not often.