Therewillbeglory

The most striking thing about this horse is what happened in the six races leading up to the victory. It ran second, second, second, and then second again over four consecutive outings before missing one race and finishing third in its comeback. That's the record of a horse that was consistently beaten but never disgraced — close enough to the pace to matter, but something was missing. Now it has found the answer at least once, and that's worth watching.

Trainer A. Slattery, who operates from Thurles in County Tipperary, has built a strong yard this season with 62 winners already sent out. Slattery also rides the horse regularly — they have been paired six times, though without a win together until now. The partnership clicked at Naas this week, and the distance seems to suit: over 7 furlongs to a mile, Therewillbeglory has won 1 of 4 races (25%), its only winning distance so far. With the horse still active and coming off a win, the next few months will show whether that Naas victory was the start of something or a one-off breakthrough after months of running without luck.