Pinot Gris

His form over the last six runs tells you everything about his temperament. A win, then a fifth, a second, another win, a fourth, and a sixteenth place — that jagged line reflects a horse who finds some tracks and conditions to his liking and others utterly bewildering. On normal ground he is genuinely good, winning 3 of 6 races there (a 50% win rate), and on slightly soft ground he has won 2 of 5 (40%), but shift the terrain or the race conditions and he can disappear entirely. Trainer Henry de Bromhead, based at Knockeen in County Waterford, has described him bluntly as lazy and idle — the sort that needs sharp handling and the right equipment to keep his mind on the job. Blinkers made a difference at Naas recently, helping him concentrate when he had a tendency to wander around the track.

Distance matters too. Pinot Gris has shown he prefers races between a mile three and a mile four furlongs, distances where he has won 1 of 3 attempts (33%), which suggests he lacks the class to excel at shorter trips but may also lack the speed to thrive over longer ones. His first win came at Down Royal in June 2023, and the jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle noted then that he was raw and needed time to hit his stride, but improved over rising ground. That profile — a horse who gets going late, prefers certain tracks, and responds to sharp equipment — has held true throughout his career. He remains active and in the hands of a top-class yard, and with his recent win suggesting a return to form, there is still a chance he may justify the patience his the yard have shown.