My Trump Card

McConnell has not hidden his frustration. The trainer knows the horse has ability—the work at home has always been encouraging—but that promise rarely translates to the racecourse. "It isn't straightforward," he said recently, a comment that speaks volumes about a horse that should be delivering more than it does. The real debate in the yard now centres on what type of racing suits it best. Chasing has been tried and found wanting; hurdles remain the default option. McConnell wanted a clean run this season, a chance for consistency, but instead has watched his horse stumble through another disappointing sequence.

What makes My Trump Card's story genuinely interesting is the contrast between what it can do and what it does do. At Navan, it becomes a different animal—a 25 per cent winner there, a genuine course specialist where conditions or the track itself seem to unlock something the horse cannot find elsewhere. That first win in December 2023 came on the same track where it has its best record, suggesting Navan holds the key to whatever My Trump Card might yet achieve. Whether McConnell can crack that code before the horse runs out of chances remains to be seen.