Mother Ship

The real story here is consistency without reward. Mother Ship has been placed — finishing second, third, or fourth — in six of her 25 races, which shows she has the ability to run near the front. Her recent form tells a clearer picture: in her last six outings, she has picked up two second-place finishes and another second, along with a couple of bigger defeats. That is a horse hovering on the edge of winning races, flashing glimpses of form but struggling to deliver it on race day. With John Joseph Hanlon's yard in decent form this season and regular partner Paddy Hanlon aboard for thirteen of those races, you might expect better results than they have managed together — a blank record between them so far. Whether Mother Ship finds another win soon, or whether that single Navan success proves to be the highlight of her career, remains to be seen. What is clear is that she is tough, competitive enough to place regularly, and still active enough to surprise.