Sunrise Angel

The trainer A. Slattery, based at Thurles in Co Tipperary, is having a strong season with 62 winners sent out from the yard so far. That kind of form does not guarantee success with every horse, of course, but it points to a team that knows what it is doing. Sunrise Angel was in action just yesterday, which means it is still being actively campaigned — the trainer clearly sees something worth pursuing. The horse has four placed finishes to its name as well as that single win, so it is capable of running into the frame on a regular basis. Its most recent six races show a pattern of near-misses and struggles: a fifth place, then a second-place finish, then a run of sixth, sixth, eleventh, and one unraced entry. That second place came in the race right after the Cork win, suggesting the horse is not yet running consistently at its best.

Andrew Slattery, the regular rider, has not yet translated that single career win into a success from the five races he has shared with Sunrise Angel, though he clearly believes in the horse enough to keep getting the leg up. For a three-year-old still searching for consistency, Sunrise Angel's next opportunity will come at a distance that plays to its strengths and a race where it belongs competitively.