Silent Flight

That lone win at Punchestown is the defining moment of Silent Flight's career so far. Whether it can add to it is the question — because the recent form makes for sobering reading. In the last six races, the best finish has been a third, with a string of mid-field and tail-end efforts filling out the picture. A twelfth and an eighth don't suggest a horse building toward something; they suggest one that is finding life harder as it gets older.

Trainer Philip M Byrne's yard has sent out just one winner this season, so this isn't a powerhouse operation throwing horses at every big opportunity. Silent Flight raced just yesterday, which at least confirms it remains fit and active — but turning around a run of six races without a win, at the age of 10, is genuinely difficult. Horses can surprise you, and Punchestown clearly suits Silent Flight — that's worth remembering if it lines up there again. But the honest assessment is that this is a horse whose best days are likely behind it, and the challenge now is finding the right spot to coax out one more decent performance.