Eye Of The Water

The most interesting chapter of its story is written at Bath. Of its 3 career wins, 2 have come at that track — out of 25 races there, which works out to winning roughly 1 in every 12 or 13 visits. That might not sound dramatic, but in racing terms, a horse that returns repeatedly to the same venue and finds its best form there is exactly the kind of animal that rewards people who pay attention. Bath is clearly where Eye Of The Water feels at home, and its last win there came in August 2023. That was 32 months ago now, which means the clock is ticking, but the affection for the track has not gone anywhere.

Conditions matter too. On slightly soft ground — when there has been a touch of rain and the surface has a bit of give — Eye Of The Water wins roughly 1 in every 4 races, a 25% win rate from 8 attempts. That is a genuinely strong number and a sharp contrast to its overall record. It tells you this horse has a gear it can find when the ground suits.

Ronald Harris trains the yard from Earlswood in Monmouthshire, and has sent out 5 winners already this season — a team that clearly knows how to keep older horses ticking over. Liam Keniry rides Eye Of The Water most often, with 1 win from their 10 races together. Eye Of The Water typically races at Class 6, the entry level of the sport, which is where most of its 53 appearances at that level have come — producing 2 wins, a win rate of around 1 in 26.

It raced just yesterday and has not won in its last 6 outings, with recent finishes of 4th, 4th, 5th, 4th, 6th, and 4th. Consistent, competitive, just not quite getting there. But a horse still racing at 10, still placing, still turning up — there is something to admire in that stubbornness alone.