Baltray

Nearly three years have passed since that win, and Baltray has not recaptured the form of that day. He has been placed seven times in his remaining 16 races, which speaks to a horse who can run a respectable race but struggles to get his head in front. His recent form tells a familiar story: a fourth last time out, a ninth before that, a sixth, a third, and two fifths. He was back in action just yesterday, which shows he is still being campaigned and still capable of fighting it out in races. When he does compete at Class 4 level — the standard fare for horses at his level — he wins roughly 1 in every 11 races, a figure that underlines just how hard it is for him to close out a victory.

Lavelle has noted that Baltray prefers softer ground, the kind you get in winter when the track is heavy and wet. She also sees him as a future chaser, a horse built for jumping fences rather than hurdles. For now, he remains a hurdler grinding away on the circuit, a reliable if modest performer who proved once that he could win — and who may well do so again on a day when conditions suit him and the luck falls his way.