Centreofattention

The numbers since then are harder to dress up. One win and one placed finish from six races, a win rate of roughly 1 in every 6 outings, and that sole victory now sits 28 months in the past. He raced just yesterday, so he is clearly still in training and still being aimed at races — but the results over hurdles have not yet matched the promise of that opening day at Wincanton.

What gives the profile a little more shape is the distance question. Over the longer trips — between a mile and six furlongs and two miles — he has won 1 from 3, a success rate of 33%, which is considerably better than his overall record suggests. That is one win from every three attempts at his preferred trip, which for a horse at this level is a meaningful number. His trainer at the Bruree yard in Co Limerick has noted that while two miles is where he will start, there is every chance he gets better as the distances increase. A yard that has sent out 14 winners this season clearly knows what it is doing, and the fact they are still running this horse suggests they believe there is more to come.

At seven years old, Centreofattention is not a young horse with years of opportunity ahead. But horses can find their level late, and if there is a race to be won at a distance that really stretches him, Wincanton in January already proved he knows how to get the job done when everything clicks.