Binge Worthy

That said, there is a reason Gordon Elliott still has this horse in his string. Elliott's yard at Longwood in County Meath is one of the most powerful operations in Irish racing — 209 winners already this season is a staggering number, roughly four winners every single week — and horses do not hang around a yard like that without some belief that there is more to come. Elliott has been fairly clear about where he thinks Binge Worthy's future lies. Before the horse began jumping fences, Elliott pointed to a strong performance in a point-to-point at Dromahane as evidence that he would be a better chaser than hurdler. The logic is straightforward: some horses simply find their calling when the obstacles get bigger and the fences require more jumping technique.

The recent form makes for uncomfortable reading — finishing tenth, eighth, tenth, third, and fifth in five of the last six completed races — but Binge Worthy is nothing if not consistent about showing up. The horse raced just yesterday, which speaks to a sound enough constitution even if the results have dried up. With a career record that shows more places than wins, the profile here is of a horse hovering just below the level needed to win regularly, waiting perhaps for the right race, the right conditions, or — if Elliott's instinct proves correct — the right discipline entirely.