Rideau Canal

That solitary win came at Thurles in February 2026, and given how long it took to arrive, it must have felt like a genuine occasion for trainer Mrs Denise Foster and her yard based in Longwood, Co Meath. Foster's team have sent out four winners this season, so they are clearly capable of getting horses to perform — and Thurles turned out to be the place where everything finally clicked for this one.

The recent run of form tells a mixed story. After that win, Rideau Canal has posted a fifth and a ninth, and the three runs before that were all blanks. It is the pattern of a horse operating at the edges of its ability — good enough to trouble the placings occasionally, but not consistently good enough to dominate. At 11, there is not a huge amount of room for improvement, but horses of this age can sometimes find a race that suits them perfectly and spring a surprise.

What is worth noting is that regular jockey Darragh O'Keeffe has yet to win aboard Rideau Canal in five rides together, a combination that has not quite found the right moment. Given that the horse did win — with someone else in the saddle or under different circumstances — there is at least proof that the talent is there, even if it is hard to unlock. Raced just one day ago, Rideau Canal is clearly still an active part of the Foster yard's plans, which says something in itself. At this stage of a career, horses that keep turning up are usually there for a reason — and sometimes that reason is simply that one more win is still out there waiting.