Plushy

The recent form makes for interesting reading. A second and a third in there suggest Plushy is capable of mixing it with horses that go on to win, but the string of mid-pack finishes either side of those efforts — including a pair of nines and an eleventh — point to a horse that shows up when it feels like it. That inconsistency is the puzzle Gavin Cromwell's team at Navan will be trying to solve.

Cromwell is no small operation. Based in Co. Meath, his yard has sent out 97 winners already this season — a serious number that puts him among the busier and more successful trainers around. The fact that a horse like Plushy is still in training and still being actively campaigned (it raced just yesterday) tells you the team believe there is a win in there somewhere. Trainers with 97 winners on the board do not waste time on horses they have written off. Plushy raced just one day ago, so whatever comes next is likely not far away.

The question is whether that belief is justified. Four places from 11 races is not the record of a hopeless horse — it is the record of one that keeps doing just enough to stay interesting without doing quite enough to win. At three years old, there is still time. But the clock is ticking, and the wins column remains stubbornly empty.