Western Princess

The recent form makes for sobering reading. Going back through the last six races, the best results are a third and a fifth, with three blank runs and an eighth in between. The direction of travel is heading the wrong way, and there is nothing in that sequence to suggest a win is coming soon. Racing just yesterday, Western Princess is clearly still being kept busy, which tells you the team believes there is something worth chasing.

The most interesting element of this story is who is doing the chasing. Western Princess is trained by W P Mullins — Willie Mullins, the most dominant force in jump racing on either side of the Irish Sea. Her yard at Muine Bheag in County Carlow has sent out 220 winners already this season, a number that puts most operations to shame. When a trainer is winning at that volume, every horse in the yard benefits from world-class facilities, staff, and planning. The fact that Western Princess has not yet won is not for lack of support. If a first victory does arrive, it will come from one of the best-resourced yards in the sport.

For now, though, patience is the word. Some horses take time to find their feet, and at seven there is still time for things to click. Two places from seven races is modest, but it is not nothing — Western Princess has shown enough to keep the yard interested. The next run will tell us whether yesterday's outing has sharpened things up or whether the search goes on.