Punchbowl Flyer

The key to Punchbowl Flyer is ground conditions. On normal, standard going he wins roughly 1 in every 4 races—that 25% win rate from 12 attempts is genuinely strong—but move him onto quicker, faster surfaces and he simply cannot perform. His trainer, John O'Shea, who runs his yard at Newham-on-Severn in Gloucestershire, has long understood this quirk. The softer and wetter the ground, the better Punchbowl Flyer's chance. When the mud is flying and the track is heavy, this is a horse transformed. Patience for the right conditions has always been the strategy, and there is merit in that approach for a horse of his caliber.

Recent form shows he is still capable of competing at a respectable level. He has won 2 of his last 6 races, including a success at Ffos Las on 23 June—just three months ago—which proves he has not lost his touch. His most recent outing came just yesterday, when he ran fifth, a perfectly respectable effort. The fact that he continues to find the occasional win at nine years old, after 48 races, speaks to his durability. He may never be a star, but he is exactly what many racing yards need: a reliable, straightforward sort who earns his keep and gives his team something to build a day around when the going is soft and his name is pencilled in at a suitable track.