Rising Sky

Trained by Anthony McCann out of Castleblaney in County Monaghan, Rising Sky is part of a yard that has sent out 7 winners this season, so McCann clearly knows how to get a horse to the line first. The question is whether he can unlock whatever is stopping this one from doing the same. Regular partner Luke McAteer has been aboard for 7 of those 20 races without managing a single win together — a combination that has plenty of experience of each other but not much to show for it yet.

The most encouraging detail in Rising Sky's record is what happens when the trip is right. Over distances of a mile and three to a mile and four furlongs, the horse has won 1 from 4 races — a 25% win rate, or 1 in every 4. That is a dramatically better picture than the overall record suggests, and it tells you this is a horse that needs a genuine test of stamina to be at its best. Recent form makes for tough reading — finishing 5th, 7th, and 11th in the last three outings — but the horse raced just yesterday and remains active, so another opportunity is not far away. If McCann can find the right race at the right trip, that Dundalk win might not stay a one-off for much longer.