Rock Of Ireland

The encouraging detail is consistency rather than success. Four additional places from 22 races means Rock Of Ireland finishes in the money fairly often — it's not a horse that gets left trailing — but converting those near-misses into wins has proved persistently difficult. Ridden mostly by Luke McAteer, the pair have managed one victory together from 12 races, a win rate of about 1 in 8 outings when they team up. Trainer Rory Anthony Devine's yard at Bagnalstown has contributed minimally to the season's winners, and Rock Of Ireland has done little to change that picture.

The horse appears to run best over longer distances, between a mile and six furlongs and two miles, where it has claimed its sole win from 12 attempts. Recent form has been uninspiring — a sequence of 12th place, 5th, 17th, 4th, 6th, and 2nd across the last six races shows moments of competence mixed with some dismal days. That second place finish came just yesterday, suggesting Rock Of Ireland is still racing regularly and still capable of running respectably. For a horse of modest ability in a competitive sport, that consistency in finding races and staying sound enough to run frequently may be achievement enough.