Polemon

The two wins that define Polemon's recent career came in a busy two-month spell in late 2024. The first arrived at Gowran Park in August, followed by a second at The Curragh in October — two of Ireland's most respected tracks. Winning at The Curragh in particular is worth noting; it is one of the most competitive venues in Irish racing, and getting a result there puts Polemon in decent company. Since then, though, it has been 20 months without a win, and the last six races have brought a third place and a second as the only bright spots among some disappointing finishes.

One of the more striking patterns in Polemon's record is how well it goes on normal ground conditions — the kind of standard, everyday surface that suits most horses. It has won 2 of its 8 races on that ground, a win rate of 25%, which is genuinely good. Compare that to its record at Class 5 level — the lower end of British racing — where it has gone 0 from 9, and you start to wonder whether the team at Tim Vaughan's yard in the Vale of Glamorgan is still searching for the right combination of conditions to bring out the best in this horse.

Vaughan's yard has been in decent form this season, sending out 11 winners, so the infrastructure is there. Regular jockey Daniel King has won 1 of their 7 races together — about 1 in 7 — which is a working partnership rather than a spectacular one. Polemon raced just yesterday, so it is clearly being kept busy, and a horse that has won at The Curragh and keeps placing at regular intervals is not one to write off entirely. The next win might just require finding that normal ground and stepping away from the races where it has consistently come up short.