Toor Moon

The partnership with jockey Liam Quinlan is one of the more remarkable footnotes in that story. The two have teamed up 15 times without a single win between them, which at this point almost feels like a long-running tradition rather than a run of bad luck. Recent form shows a third-place finish a few races back, sandwiched between some quieter efforts, so there are still days when Toor Moon gives its supporters something to cheer about — just not quite enough.

Ms M Flynn trains the horse out of Stradbally in County Waterford, a small yard that has managed one winner so far this season. Toor Moon, who raced just yesterday and is very much still active, has been a consistent presence in the yard's entries — and consistent is perhaps the most honest word for a horse that has placed in more than a third of its races without ever winning one. For a trainer operating with limited firepower, a horse that keeps showing up and finishing in the places has its own kind of value, even if the winner's enclosure remains out of reach.

Whether Toor Moon ever breaks the duck is genuinely hard to say. At nine years old, the clock is ticking. But it ran yesterday, it's still placing on occasion, and Ms Flynn keeps saddling it up. Sometimes that's the whole story.