Cut The Rope

What makes Cut The Rope slightly more interesting than those bare numbers suggest is what happens when it gets the right distance. Over the longer trips — between a mile and six furlongs and two miles — it has won 1 of 5 races, which works out at 20%, or roughly 1 in every 5. That is a meaningful improvement on its overall record and suggests that when conditions suit, it is a more competitive animal than its career record implies. The problem is that finding the perfect scenario often takes longer than anyone would like.

The horse is trained by Eddie and Patrick Harty at their yard in Curragh, Co Kildare, and the team has sent out 17 winners already this season, so it is clearly a functioning, capable operation. Cut The Rope is racing for a yard that knows what it is doing, which at least means it is likely being placed in races where it has a fair chance. It raced just one day ago, so this is a horse actively campaigning right now, not one being kept for a special occasion.

Placing five times from 19 races tells you this is a horse that competes without quite winning, a reliably honest animal that earns its keep by finishing close without ever quite getting its nose in front. For anyone keeping an eye on it, the distance is the key — get it over a longer trip and it becomes a different proposition. Whether that Naas win ever gets a follow-up remains the question worth watching.