General Clermont

The wins that do exist are worth noting. The first came at Killarney in August 2023, and the most recent at Wexford in August 2024 — twenty months ago now. That's a long wait for another victory, and the last six runs haven't offered much encouragement: a thirteenth, a third, two seconds, a ninth, and a sixth. There's a second place in there, which shows the ability is still somewhere in the tank, but the wins have dried up.

Gavin Brouder is the jockey most associated with this horse, and the numbers between them are actually the most interesting part of the story. In 20 races together, they've won 3 times — that's a win rate of 15%, or roughly 1 in every 7 rides. For context, that's almost double the horse's overall career win rate. Whether that's down to Brouder knowing exactly how to ride this particular horse, or just a stretch of good timing, it's a pairing that has clearly clicked more often than most.

General Clermont is now returning from a break of around five months, which adds a layer of uncertainty. Horses coming back after that kind of time off can go one of two ways — they either come back fresh and ready to run their best race in months, or they need a run or two to find their feet. Trainer D. E. Fitzgerald's yard has sent out just one winner this season, so this isn't a team currently operating at full throttle. None of that makes a win likely, but it doesn't make it impossible either — this horse has surprised before, and at nine years old, it clearly still wants to race.