Slieve Binnian

What makes Slieve Binnian worth watching is what he was before the losing streak began. He wins roughly 1 in every 5 races overall — 7 wins from 34 starts — which is respectable. But at Dundalk, he becomes a different animal. He has won 4 of his 9 races there, a win rate of 44 percent. For a horse to dominate one track that way is unusual and useful. He also thrives on normal ground: 4 wins from 9 races when conditions are standard. Take those two facts together and you have a pattern worth exploiting. The horse plainly prefers firm footing and a course that suits his running style.

His partnership with jockey Ronan Whelan has been his best asset. Whelan has ridden him 17 times and they have won together 5 times — a 29 percent win rate when they pair up, well above his overall average. That suggests chemistry. Trainer David Marnane's Bansha yard, in County Tipperary, has been productive this season with 21 winners sent out, so the stable is firing on most cylinders elsewhere.

The question now is whether Slieve Binnian can rediscover his touch. A horse that wins at nearly half its races on favourable ground and at a course he loves is not finished. But 15 months without a win is a long silence. His next opportunity at Dundalk on normal going, ideally with Whelan in the saddle, will tell us whether this specialist can wake up, or whether something has genuinely shifted. At six years old, he is still in his prime. Time, though, is not infinite.