Tannery Park

The distance preference is the most useful thing to know about Tannery Park. Over two miles or further, the record reads one win from eight races — 12%, or roughly 1 in every 8 tries. That might not sound dramatic, but it is comfortably better than the overall picture, and it tells you this is a horse that needs a real test of stamina to show its best. Shorter trips have produced nothing, which makes route planning straightforward: if Tannery Park turns up in a sprint, ignore it.

The recent form string — 1-5-10-2-3-11 reading from most recent backwards — is a little uneven, but the two placings either side of that winning run show a horse capable of competing at a decent level when conditions suit. The 10th and 11th positions are easy to explain away as races that simply did not fit. What matters is that when everything clicks, Tannery Park can hit the frame, and has now broken the duck.

The other factor worth noting is the layoff. Tannery Park has not raced for around 10 months — roughly 306 days — which means a return is due. Horses coming back from a long break can be rusty first time out, or they can come back refreshed. Barry Connell's yard at Nurney in Co. Kildare has sent out seven winners already this season, which suggests things are ticking over well, and a trainer in that kind of form is worth following when they bring a horse back from a break. Whether Tannery Park returns ready to run its race or needs the outing to blow away the cobwebs, the one to watch for is the second run back — that is often when a horse like this starts to show what it has learned from its first win.