Teardrops

The overall career picture is solid without being spectacular. Across 18 races, there have been 3 wins and 8 places — meaning Teardrops has finished in the top few nearly 1 in every 2 times it has raced. A 17% win rate (roughly 1 in 6 races overall) tells you this is a consistent, reliable performer at its level. That level tends to be the entry-level Class 6 races, where Teardrops has won 3 from 10 (30%), essentially winning 1 in every 3 of those. At four years old, the horse is right in the prime of its career.

The partnership with jockey George Wood is worth noting. Together they have won 3 from 9 races — that's a 33% win rate, or 1 in 3, which is a genuinely impressive number. When a jockey and horse click like that, the trainer tends to stick with the combination, and Tony Carroll clearly knows what he's doing. Carroll's yard at Cropthorne in Worcestershire has sent out 136 winners this season alone, which puts this in the context of a busy, productive operation that knows how to place its horses.

The one cloud on the horizon is that Teardrops hasn't won in its last 6 races, and the recent form figures — 10-11-8-4-3-2 — tell a story of a horse that has been creeping closer but not quite getting there. Second last time out is encouraging, but the run before that was a third, and before that a fourth. The horse is threatening without delivering. The last win came at Newcastle back in January, now six months ago. Given that all three career wins have come at Newcastle, the obvious question is whether a return there can unlock that winning feeling again. Raced just yesterday and still active, Teardrops is clearly being kept busy — and the yard will be hoping the right opportunity at the right track comes around soon.