No Looking Back

The good news is that No Looking Back has genuine sweet spots. Over the longer distances—1m6f to 2m—he comes alive. He has won two of his three races at that trip, a 67% win rate that suggests he thrives when given room to settle and gallop. That is the kind of record that tells you exactly where to point him next. His recent form reads 7-10-3-4-10, the kind of up-and-down pattern that suggests he is still in the mix but struggling to close out races. Phillip Enright, his regular jockey, has ridden him in 16 races and taken two wins—the same 12% win rate as the horse overall, indicating no particular magic between rider and mount, just a straightforward partnership.

Trainer Oliver McKiernan, based at Rathcoole in Dublin, has had a decent season with six winners from the yard. No Looking Back raced just a day ago, so the horse is clearly still active and willing. Whether he can end his long absence from the winner's circle depends entirely on whether McKiernan can engineer a return to those longer distances where he showed genuine ability. At his age, and with such a long break since his last win, that may ask more of the horse than he has left to give.