Chicago Call

The recent form tells a familiar story for a horse at this level. Six races without a win, and finishes of 6th, 5th, 21st, 2nd, and 6th in the most recent runs paint a picture of a horse that is competitive on its better days but hasn't been able to string it all together. The second-place finish in there is worth noting — it shows the ability is present, even if the wins have dried up since that Fairyhouse breakthrough nearly ten months ago.

Ben Coen rides Chicago Call most often, partnering the horse in six of its nine races and getting that one win from the combination — a win rate of around 1 in 6 together, which is a decent enough ratio and suggests a working relationship the team clearly values. Coen is a capable jockey, and the fact the yard keeps putting him up is a quiet vote of confidence.

The trainer is J P Murtagh, operating out of Coolaghknock Glebe in County Kildare — a yard that has sent out 54 winners already this season, which tells you this is a professional, well-resourced operation that knows how to get horses to the track in good shape. When a stable is firing at that kind of volume, individual horses can sometimes take time to find their moment, but they tend to get there eventually. Chicago Call raced just one day ago, so it is very much in the thick of its season, and Murtagh's record suggests the team won't give up on finding the right opportunity to get this horse back to winning ways.