Dark Viper

The overall numbers tell a more modest story: 2 wins from 30 races, a win rate of roughly 1 in every 15. But those headline figures don't capture how consistent he is as a competitor — 16 places from those 30 races means he has been in the thick of things far more often than the wins column suggests. He also has a clear sweet spot in terms of distance. Over a mile and an eighth to a mile and a quarter, he has won 2 of his 8 races — a 25% win rate that jumps right out. It's a fraction that says this horse, over this distance, is a genuine threat. Harrington has noted he handles seven furlongs or a mile without fuss, and that you could run him virtually every week such is his constitution, but the slightly longer trips are where he really clicks.

Jockey Shane Foley, who has partnered him for 16 of his 30 races, described him after his Leopardstown win as a horse who "deserved it" — a stable favourite, a lead horse, one the yard clearly has affection for. Foley felt a fitness boost after a run at the Curragh and better ground conditions made the difference that day, and was openly optimistic that Dark Viper could go in again. He was right. The October win confirmed it.

Based at Moone in Co Kildare, Mrs John Harrington's yard has sent out 54 winners this season alone, so Dark Viper is operating within a serious, high-functioning operation. He raced just yesterday and remains active, which, given what Harrington has said about his durability, should surprise nobody. A horse who took 19 races to win his first and has now won two of his last three at his favourite track — that is a story worth following.