West Away

The most recent win came seven weeks ago at Wexford on 08 August, and since then the results have been mixed. In the last six races West Away has finished second once, third twice, and failed to place three times—the kind of form that suggests a horse still trying but not quite finding the same spark. Last time out, just a day ago, it finished seventh, the sort of run that either marks a temporary dip or the beginning of a decline. With Dylan Kidd as the regular jockey—winning at a rate of one in six rides together—there is at least consistency in the saddle, though neither horse nor rider has quite hit a hot streak.

Trained by P E Collins at Bessbrook in County Down, West Away runs for a modest but working yard that has found four winners this season. That context matters: this is not a horse with vast resources behind it, and every win feels earned rather than inevitable. The horse came late to winning, not tasting victory until December 2023, and has taken nearly three years to accumulate three race wins. That is the shape of a horse that belongs at a certain level and knows how to compete there without threatening to rise above it. Right now, with decent recent form and a seven-week gap since the last win, West Away is a horse worth watching in the next few weeks—either it finds its feet again on normal ground, or it fades further down the card.