Allroadsleadtorome

That said, context matters. Two races is an extraordinarily small sample, and the fact that it raced just yesterday means this is very much a horse in the early stages of its story. Whether those two fifth-place finishes came close or were well beaten is the kind of detail that would tell you a lot, but for now the record simply reads: tried twice, placed nowhere.

What does offer some encouragement is the yard behind the horse. Trainer John C McConnell, based in Stamullen, Co Meath, has sent out 38 winners already this season — which is a productive operation by any measure. Horses from a yard firing at that rate tend to have a plan, and a lightly-raced five-year-old with only two outings suggests patience rather than panic. McConnell's team will know far more than the bare numbers suggest about where this horse fits and what it needs. Whether Allroadsleadtorome eventually justifies that patience is a question only more racing will answer.