Western Opera

The recent form doesn't offer much encouragement either. Looking at the last six runs, there are a couple of blank entries alongside finishes of sixth, second, twelfth, and twelfth. That second place is the one glimmer — it shows the ability is in there somewhere, that Western Opera can at least get competitive when things fall right. But the double-twelfth finishes suggest inconsistency is a real problem, the kind of horse that can look promising one day and then disappear into the pack the next.

Jockey Ricky Doyle has stuck with this horse more than anyone, riding it five times together — and they are yet to win as a partnership. That kind of loyalty from a jockey usually means there is something they believe in, some feel in the saddle that the raw numbers don't capture. Whether that faith is ever rewarded remains to be seen. What we do know is that Western Opera raced just yesterday, so whatever happens next is very much a live story.