Augusta Rock

The pattern of recent form tells a familiar story for an unraced three-year-old: inconsistent results ranging from a respectable second to finishes well down the order at eighth and eleventh. The fact that trainer Joseph Patrick O'Brien continues to race Augusta Rock regularly, despite the lack of a win, suggests the yard sees something worth persisting with. O'Brien's Owning Hill operation has sent out 160 winners this season, so the trainer clearly knows how to get horses to the winner's enclosure—which means Augusta Rock is being given every chance to break through. That encouraging second-place finish yesterday could mark the beginning of something better, or it might simply be another near-miss in what has so far been a frustrating start to its racing life. Either way, the horse remains in work and active, with opportunities ahead.