Desert Of The Sea

Look at the last six races and there is a pattern worth noticing: four of those six have produced a place finish — two seconds and a third sitting alongside a fourth and an eighth. That means Desert Of The Sea has been running into the frame with some regularity, even if the winning post keeps arriving a length or two too soon. Consistent placings without a win can mean different things — a horse that tries hard but simply finds one or two too good, or one that is yet to find exactly the right race. The honest answer is probably somewhere in between.

The horse competes at Class 6, which is the entry level of British racing — the races designed for horses finding their feet or those who need a specific kind of contest to show their best. Three races at that level have produced nothing in the win column so far, which does raise the question of where the breakthrough might eventually come from. That said, placing in races — even without winning — takes effort and ability, and Desert Of The Sea has done that five times across its career.

Training comes from T G McCourt, based at Stamullen in County Meath. The yard has sent out 14 winners already this season, which shows they know how to get a horse to the line first when the conditions are right. The fact that Desert Of The Sea has raced as recently as nine days ago means this is a horse that is being kept active and ticking over — the team has not given up on finding that elusive first win. Whether this one eventually breaks through or keeps finishing just behind the leaders, it has shown enough to keep the yard believing there is a race in it somewhere.