Takarengo

That one win came at The Curragh in July 2022, nearly four years ago now. The Curragh is Ireland's most prestigious flat racing venue, so it is not nothing — but the fact that Takarengo has not won since, in any of the 40-odd races that followed, gives the stat a bittersweet quality. The best version of this horse, at least in terms of results, belongs to a summer afternoon almost four years ago.

The distances that suit Takarengo best — between a mile and six furlongs and two miles — are the longer end of the spectrum, where stamina and temperament matter as much as raw speed. At those trips, the record reads 1 win from 14 races, or 7%, which is actually the strongest part of the profile. It's a narrow window, but it's where the horse has the most to offer.

Regular partner Danny Mullins, one of the more recognisable jockeys in Irish racing, has ridden Takarengo nine times without a win between them. That's not necessarily a knock on either horse or rider — some combinations just don't quite click — but it is a noticeable pattern. Trainer James M Barcoe, based in Gowran, Co. Kilkenny, has had seven winners out of the yard this season, so there is form in the stable. Takarengo, though, has not added to that tally.

Racing just one day ago, this horse is very much still active and still being aimed at races. At ten, with one career win and a recent run of five races without a place — the dashes in that recent form indicating non-completions — it would be easy to write Takarengo off entirely. But the 15 career places show a horse that has spent its career in and around the action. The win may not come again. But if the past is anything to go by, Takarengo will keep turning up.