Ferdia

What makes this particularly striking is Ferdia's consistency at the losing end. The horse placed in a race as recently as two weeks ago and is still being sent to compete, which speaks to a certain durability — Ferdia clearly has enough in the tank to trouble the placings on a decent day. Over its last six races it has finished between sixth and eleventh, which suggests it is running at a level where it can stay competitive without ever quite finding that winning strike. With a win rate of just 1 in 42 races (2%), Ferdia is the kind of horse that the yard keeps running because it shows up, tries hard, and occasionally sneaks into the frame — but the big day never seems to arrive. Trainer John Patrick Ryan, based in Templemore, runs a productive yard that has sent out 21 winners this season, yet Ferdia remains stubbornly stuck on one. The horse is most often ridden by Philip Donovan, though that partnership has produced no wins from 14 attempts together. After nearly two decades in racing, Ferdia remains defined by that one August afternoon at Tramore, everything since then a long and patient attempt to repeat the trick.