Hard Dealt

That sole career win came at Worcester in May 2025, and the trainer is frank about what has followed. A seventh-place finish at Ludlow is something Daly wants to draw a line through — he describes it as a race to forget, and the handicapper apparently agrees, leaving the horse's mark at 108 rather than punishing it further. Before that blip, Hard Dealt had finished second at Aintree on Boxing Day, which is no small thing. Aintree is a big, storied track, and placing there puts a horse in decent company.

The partnership with jockey David Bass is one of the more interesting threads here. Together they have won 1 race from 5 — a 20% win rate, meaning Bass wins 1 in every 5 times he rides this horse. That is a strong ratio compared to the horse's overall career record, and it suggests something clicks when the two are paired.

What Daly finds genuinely difficult is finding the right races. Hard Dealt sits in a frustrating middle ground — too good for the most modest contests, but not quite at the level where the better-quality races are plentiful. As Daly explains it, tracks tend to run plenty of races capped at a rating of 100 but far fewer capped at 110 or 120, which is exactly where a horse rated 108 needs to be looking. It is a structural problem in the sport that catches a particular type of capable but not elite horse. The trainer's plan is to seek out faster, drier ground, which he believes suits the horse better.

Hard Dealt is active right now — it raced just yesterday — and with a yard that has sent out 17 winners already this season, the team around this horse is clearly in form. Whether Hard Dealt can add to that tally depends largely on finding the right race at the right track.