Dartan

The broader career picture is genuinely solid for a nine-year-old. Seven wins and 12 places from 29 races — that is a win rate of roughly 1 in every 4 races, with a place in nearly two thirds of all outings. That is a horse that shows up and competes. Career earnings of that kind of consistency suggest a reliable, mid-level performer rather than a one-hit wonder, and the first win coming at Dundalk in March 2022 kicked off what would become a productive couple of years.

The concern now is the current run of form. A ninth, two seconds, a twentieth, a fourteenth, and another second in the last six races tells a complicated story: Dartan is still placing, still knocking on the door, but the wins are not coming. A nine-year-old that has not won in over two and a half years is carrying a question mark alongside all those bold statistics. Whether the team at West Wratting, where trainer Sarah Humphrey has sent out 8 winners already this season, can find the right opportunity to change that narrative remains to be seen.

Regular jockey James Smith has ridden Dartan 10 times for 2 wins — a win rate of 20%, or roughly 1 in every 5 rides together, which is a decent return and suggests a productive partnership. Dartan raced just yesterday, so this is a horse firmly in active campaign. The question every punter will be asking is simple: will the yard ever get Dartan back to Bellewstown? Because on the evidence, that is the one place on earth where this horse is simply unbeatable.