Sayfa Fad

The record of 1 win and 2 places from 18 races tells a story of a horse that competes without often threatening to win. That's a win rate of roughly 1 in every 18 races, which is modest by any measure. What makes it more interesting is where the improvement seems to be coming from: over distances of seven furlongs to a mile, Sayfa Fad has won 1 from 5 races, a rate of 20% — or roughly 1 in every 5. That's a completely different horse to the one that disappears into the pack elsewhere. Distance clearly matters here, and the team at Colehill seem to be finding the right spots.

The recent form makes for mixed reading. Before the Bellewstown win, the figures showed a sequence of finishes in the teens — deep in the field, not threatening. Since then, positions of 19, 14, and 13 suggest the horse has found it harder again after that career highlight. That's not unusual. Horses can find their moment, win it, and then find the level rises around them or the conditions stop suiting. Sayfa Fad raced just yesterday, which means the team are keeping busy and clearly believe there's more to come.

Colin Keane, one of Ireland's most accomplished jockeys, has ridden Sayfa Fad six times without a win between them. That's not a criticism of either party — sometimes a partnership just doesn't click on the scoreboard, even with talented people involved. Trainer Paul W Flynn has sent out 22 winners from his Longford yard this season, which shows he knows how to place a horse to win. Finding the right race for Sayfa Fad, at the right distance, on the right day, is clearly the puzzle she's still working on — and Bellewstown in late summer suggests she's not far off solving it again.