Getuptheyard

The partnership with jockey David Noonan is the defining relationship of this horse's career: eleven races together, not a single win between them. That is a long run of near-misses and frustrations, and yet they keep coming back for more, which says something about the belief still held by trainer Nigel Hawke and his yard in Devon. Hawke is based in Stoodleigh and has sent out 9 winners this season, so he clearly knows how to get a horse to the front — it just hasn't happened with this one yet.

Getuptheyard almost exclusively races at Class 5, the entry level of the sport, and has managed 0 wins from 15 races at that level. To put that in perspective, Class 5 is precisely where a horse like this is supposed to win. The competition is as light as it gets in professional racing, which makes the blank record harder to explain away. Recent form reads 4th, 5th, 4th — close enough to suggest the horse is trying, far enough back to suggest something is always missing in the closing stages.

Raced just yesterday and still active, Getuptheyard is clearly fit and being campaigned with purpose. Whether another run brings a breakthrough or simply extends one of the longer losing streaks in the lower ranks of the sport, there is something quietly compelling about a horse that keeps lining up. Twenty-one races is a lot of early mornings, a lot of cold tracks, and a lot of hope. The win, if it ever comes, will be worth cheering for.