Game Phoenix

The recent form tells a story of a horse going through a rough patch. Those last six results — finishing ninth, tenth, and thirteenth in the most recent three — represent a dip from what came before, when Game Phoenix was threatening with back-to-back third-place finishes and a fourth. Something has clearly shifted, and whether that is form, fitness, or simply the level of company it has been kept in, the yard will need to find answers quickly if this season is to amount to anything.

Darragh O'Keeffe has been the regular partner throughout, riding Game Phoenix in all six of those recent outings without a win to show for it. That kind of association without reward can sometimes reflect bad luck — tight finishes, tough draws — but six blanks together is a partnership that has yet to click at the crucial moment.

Paul Power trains from Butlerstown in County Waterford, a yard that has managed two winners so far this season. It is a modest operation rather than a powerhouse stable, which means resources are limited and opportunities to place a horse just right matter more than they would at a bigger yard. Game Phoenix raced just yesterday, which at least confirms the team still believes there is something worth running for — you do not keep entering a horse if you have given up on it entirely. The question is whether a first win is genuinely around the corner or whether Game Phoenix is simply the kind of horse that makes up the numbers at the back of a field. Twenty races without winning is a long road, and the clock is ticking.