Gaoithe Glory

The recent form makes for difficult reading. Over the last six races, the best Gaoithe Glory has managed is a fourth-place finish, with a string of seventh and ninth places filling out the rest. That kind of finishing position — consistently in the back half of the field — points to a horse that is struggling to find its level rather than one that is unlucky not to be winning. Jockey Calum Hogan has had six chances in the saddle without a win to show for it, so this is clearly not a pairing that has clicked into gear.

What keeps the story from being entirely gloomy is the yard behind the horse. Trainer E McNamara, based in Rathkeale, County Limerick, has sent out 22 winners already this season — a yard clearly capable of getting horses to the track in winning form. Gaoithe Glory, raced just yesterday and still very much an active runner, remains in training rather than being put aside, which tells you the team still sees something worth pursuing. Whether the horse can reward that faith is another question entirely — but with a trainer who clearly knows how to prepare a winner, stranger things have happened.