Her recent form is actually showing signs of life. That sequence of 7-4-3-4-4-6, read from most recent backwards, includes a third-place finish that suggests she is mixing it at the right end of a race when conditions suit. She ran just yesterday, which means she is fit and active and her trainer clearly has a plan in mind.
That trainer is W McCreery, based at Rathbride in County Kildare — a yard that has sent out 19 winners already this season, so this is no small operation. The fact that a busy, successful yard keeps running Steel Magnolia suggests there is belief that a first win can come. Nathan Crosse has been the regular partner, riding her in 5 of her 16 races without a win between them, but the combination clearly has a familiarity that the team values. Sometimes a horse and jockey just need one good day for everything to click.
At 4 years old, Steel Magnolia is still relatively young and has time on her side. Plenty of horses take longer than others to figure out what racing is asking of them, and the persistence of a yard with a proven ability to find winners is perhaps the most encouraging sign of all. Whether that first win comes soon is anyone's guess — but the fact that she raced just yesterday and keeps getting her chance says the team hasn't given up.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellewstown Sharp |
4 | 1 second, 3 other | 3 Jul | 0% |
| Dundalk Galloping |
4 | 4 other | 17 Dec | 0% |
| The Curragh Galloping |
2 | 2 other | 16 Oct | 0% |
| Gowran Park Undulating |
1 | 1 other | 16 Apr | 0% |
| Down Royal Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 20 Jun | 0% |
| Cork Galloping |
1 | 1 third | 19 May | 0% |
| Navan Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 22 Oct | 0% |
| Tipperary Galloping |
1 | 1 second | 24 Apr | 0% |
| Naas Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 24 Jun | 0% |