Zaraahmando

The horse runs best at distances between seven furlongs and a mile, where he has won twice from 11 races — a win rate of just under 18 percent. That's noticeably better than his overall record and points to a specific window where Zaraahmando performs at his most dangerous. He is trained by A. Slattery at Thurles in County Tipperary, a yard that has sent out 62 winners this season and clearly knows how to prepare competitive horses. Most often in the saddle is jockey Andrew Slattery, who has ridden Zaraahmando nine times and won twice — a 22 percent win rate that is stronger than the horse's career average. That partnership has worked, even if recent runs have not.

Still active and raced just a day ago, Zaraahmando remains part of his trainer's plans. At four years old, he is not young, but neither is he beyond redemption. What he needs is a return to that seven-furlong to mile range, the right race, and a break in the weather — conditions and timing that have eluded him for over a year. For now, he is a horse treading water, waiting for the form that led to that September victory to resurface.