Carrigmoorna Rowan

That one win came at Market Rasen in April 2024, and it remains the only time Carrigmoorna Rowan has reached the winner's enclosure. Fifteen months on, and now over two years since that day, nothing has come close to repeating it. The recent run of form — four fourth-place finishes and a second among the last six races — paints a picture of a horse that competes honestly without quite finding that extra gear when it matters most. Second place is agonising; fourth is becoming familiar territory.

Jonathan Burke rides most often, partnering the horse in 8 of its 18 races and sharing that single win. Together they win roughly 1 in every 8 races, which is a modest return but not far off what the horse manages overall. The partnership has lasted, which suggests some trust from the yard, even if the results haven't set the world alight.

Ryan Potter trains from Sellack in Herefordshire, a quieter corner of British racing, and has sent out 6 winners this season — a solid, workmanlike yard rather than a powerhouse operation. Carrigmoorna Rowan fits that profile: a honest, mid-level competitor who mostly runs in Class 4 races, one rung below the top tier, winning just 1 of 12 at that level, or roughly 1 in every 12 attempts. That's not a high win rate, but Class 4 is competitive, and placing five times suggests the horse isn't disgracing itself — it just can't quite cross the line first.

The question hanging over Carrigmoorna Rowan at nine is whether that Market Rasen win was a career highlight or a hint of something that never fully arrived. With 18 races run and only one trip to the winner's circle, the honest answer is probably the former. But the horse is still active, still placing, and still turning up — and in racing, that counts for something.