Andab

Since then, his recent form reads 5-7-3-2-3-1 over his last six races, with finishes that consistently place him in the shake-up without quite getting over the line. His trainer Joseph Patrick O'Brien, who runs one of the country's most successful yards from Owning Hill in Co Kilkenny, points to straightforward bad luck: a good run in Qatar where he was unlucky not to win, followed by another solid effort at Newcastle where "it just didn't set up right for him." The pattern suggests Andab is a horse capable of much better than his bare statistics indicate—a three-year-old with genuine class who has simply not had the racing luck to show it lately.

The partnership with Browne McMonagle is crucial. In six races together, they have won twice (a 33 percent win rate), and his post-race commentary after Dundalk reveals a rider who understands the horse's potential: "He's got plenty of class. He wandered a bit at the front but under the lights was a new experience and he's only going to get better." On the track, Andab shows his best form at shorter distances between five and six and a half furlongs, winning one of his three races over that trip, though both jockey and trainer believe he has room to grow at seven furlongs and beyond. With O'Brien suggesting a Listed race like the Tetrarch at the Curragh as a potential target, Andab appears to be a horse on the cusp of proving his quality—if the racing luck finally turns his way.