Cavalry Master

What saves this from being a purely bleak story is what those around him say about him. His former rider Mike O'Connor called him "a great servant" and "really consistent" — which is perhaps the kindest way of describing a horse who keeps showing up without quite winning, but it does speak to a certain reliability of effort. O'Connor also noted that Cavalry Master "put his head down and battled the whole way" at Wexford, which suggests this is not a horse that gives up. He simply hasn't been good enough to get his nose in front. O'Connor also pointed to Killarney as a track where Cavalry Master has seemed to genuinely enjoy himself, even recording a win there previously — which stands as the solitary bright spot in an otherwise winless career record.

Sean O'Keeffe has partnered him most often, taking the ride in 8 of his 19 races without managing a win. Maher himself has had a quiet season, with just one winner sent out from the yard this term. When Cavalry Master returned from a long absence at the Munster National, his trainer was candid that the horse badly needed the run and would improve for it — though the subsequent form hasn't really backed that up. At 12, he is firmly in the veteran stage of a racing career, and the numbers suggest his best days, such as they were, are behind him. Still racing, still trying — just not winning.