No Big Deal

The recent form is telling. In the last six races, the horse has finished ninth, fourth, eighth, eighth, ninth, and tenth. That fourth-place finish (second most recent) is the only flash of anything resembling competence, and it came nowhere near close enough to suggest a turnaround is imminent. No Big Deal was last out just a day ago and looks to be running regularly without reward, the kind of horse that trainers and owners keep racing because the alternative — retiring it — admits defeat.

Charles O'Brien's yard at Straffan has sent out only two winners all season, which provides some context: this is not a powerhouse operation, and No Big Deal is very much a foot soldier in a modest team. The horse runs best at longer distances — it has won 1 of 15 races at 2 miles or more, a 7% win rate — which at least offers the stable something to point to when entering it in races. The partnership with regular rider N G McCullagh has yielded nothing: no wins from six attempts together. No Big Deal is the kind of horse that will keep running until it stops paying its way. It is competent enough not to embarrass itself, but talented enough only to remind you, every now and then, why it has been waiting a full year to win another race.