Whats New

That said, there is a version of Whats New that looks considerably more promising, and it comes at a specific distance. Over a mile and six furlongs to two miles — the longer end of the spectrum — Whats New has won 1 from 5 races, a 20% win rate. That means it wins roughly 1 in every 5 tries at those trips, which is a genuinely solid return and stands in sharp contrast to how it fares at shorter distances. The message is fairly clear: get this horse out over real ground, let it travel and settle, and it becomes a different proposition.

The trainer and jockey are one and the same person — Andrew Slattery, based in Thurles, County Tipperary, doing both jobs himself. That is relatively unusual and means there is nobody who knows this horse's habits better than the person steering it on race day. Slattery's yard has sent out 57 winners this season, which speaks to a genuinely productive operation. Together, Slattery and Whats New have a record of 1 win from 8 races, a 12% win rate — better than the horse's overall average, which suggests the partnership suits.

Whats New raced just yesterday and is clearly in a busy spell of its season. The recent form figures of 9-6-5-2-5 show a horse that has been finishing in the mix without quite delivering, including a second place that will have been tantalisingly close. At four years old, there is time yet. If Slattery keeps pitching it at those longer distances, a second career win is not out of the question — Roscommon in September proved it can get the job done.