Queen Nel

That one win came at Gowran Park in March 2024, now 26 months ago, and it remains the defining moment of her career so far. Recent form makes for tougher reading: her last six runs have produced a third place and a second, but also finishes of 6th, 7th, 11th, and 11th — a horse that can show up on her day but hasn't been able to string it together. She raced just yesterday, so whatever the Gowran spark was, the team around her clearly still believe there's something worth chasing.

She is trained by E D Delany out of Laytown in County Meath, a yard that has sent out 5 winners already this season — a decent return that suggests the horses leaving this stable are being placed intelligently. Whether Queen Nel can add to that tally is the open question. At seven, she is not getting younger, but horses can surprise you, and the fact that she is still racing and still occasionally finishing in the places means she hasn't given anyone a reason to stop trying.