Carry On Heidi

What is most striking is the consistency of the recent form. Over the last six races, the horse has placed four times, finishing third on three separate occasions and fourth once, before coming fifth most recently just a day ago. That is a pattern of being in the mix but never quite getting there. Nearly three-quarters of a year have passed since that breakthrough win in October, and the drought continues. Trainer Jeremiah Patrick Baragry, based at Fermoy in Cork, has got this horse competitive enough to pick up places on a regular basis, but converting those near-misses into wins has proved elusive.

The horse is still racing actively and was out just yesterday, which suggests the trainer has not given up on finding another opportunity. Whether Carry On Heidi can break that winning drought is the open question now — it needs a race to fall right, or a step down in class, to remember what it felt like to win.