Dutch Gold

The first of those wins came at Down Royal in June 2023, with the second following at The Curragh in October of the same year — a productive few months for a horse that has otherwise spent most of its career making up the numbers. That second win, at one of Ireland's most prestigious tracks, is now 31 months in the past. Since then, Dutch Gold has gone six races without a win, and recent form reads 10-10-24-10-8-5 — a string of finishes that tells a story of a horse finding things happening a little too quickly for it at the moment.

Where the horse does show genuine promise is at a distance of around a mile and three to a mile and four furlongs. At that trip, it has won 2 of its 8 races — a 25% win rate, or roughly 1 in every 4 races. That is a meaningful number. It suggests Dutch Gold is not simply a horse that turns up and makes no impression; at its preferred distance, it has shown it can compete and beat rivals. The question is getting it back to that level.

The horse is trained by Noel Meade at his yard in Castletown, Co Meath — a highly experienced operation that has sent out 37 winners already this season, so there is clearly no shortage of ability coming out of that stable. Colin Keane, one of Ireland's top jockeys, has partnered Dutch Gold nine times, winning once together. That is 1 win from 9 rides, or around 11% — modest, but not out of step with the horse's overall record. Dutch Gold raced just yesterday, meaning it is an active runner right now, and at six years old there is still time for another moment like those two wins of 2023. Whether that moment is close, though, is harder to say.