Omakase

Her last six runs tell a story of mounting momentum. After a below-par third place two weeks ago, Omakase bounced back to win just eight days later at Gowran Park in May—her most recent victory and a reminder that at this stage of her career, any win is worth celebrating. Before that came a strong third place, a fifth (her worst run in this stretch), another third, and a win before that. So she's picked up two victories in these last six races, a respectable rate that suggests she's still competitive and honest about her racing.

Omakase runs best at distances between a mile and six furlongs and two miles—longer races that suit her style. Over that stretch, she's won once in three attempts, a 33 per cent win rate that's double her overall average. This is the kind of detail that tells you where her strengths lie: she needs room to run and time to settle into her rhythm. Trained by P G Fahey's yard at Nurney in County Kildare, Omakase fits the pattern of a horse who might be better suited to some tracks than others, and his early win at Dundalk back in February showed he could break his duck.

At this point in her career, Omakase is a useful, dependable racehorse rather than a star in waiting. She'll have her days—and she's clearly had a few good ones recently—but she'll also have bad days. For anyone following her, the key is watching whether she can string those wins together more often, or whether she'll settle into being the kind of horse who shows just enough to make people hopeful, and then just enough to disappoint.