Elusive Prince

The recent form makes for sobering reading. Looking at the last six races, Elusive Prince has finished twelfth, failed to complete on two occasions, finished sixth, failed to complete again, and then trailed home sixteenth. That's a lot of disappointment packed into a short stretch, and the two non-completions in there are a concern — whether through jumping errors or other issues, getting around the course cleanly has clearly been a challenge. The horse raced just yesterday, so it is very much active and still being campaigned.

Regular jockey Darragh O'Keeffe has partnered the horse seven times without a win between them, which means the pair have had plenty of opportunity to figure things out together — and yet the breakthrough hasn't come. Trainer James William Hannon's yard has sent out one winner so far this season, so it isn't as though the stable is firing on all cylinders at the moment either. Sometimes yards go through quieter patches, and Elusive Prince may simply be in one of those situations where everything needs to click at once — better form, better conditions, a clear round — and it just hasn't happened yet.

What keeps the story interesting is that the horse keeps turning up. Twenty races is a significant commitment from the team, and the fact that Elusive Prince is still being entered and raced suggests there is belief somewhere that a win is in there. Three career places from twenty attempts — that's 15% of races ending with a minor prize — shows the horse isn't completely out of its depth. Whether that first win ever comes is genuinely unclear, but for now, the search continues.