Those last four runs, read from most recent backwards, go 3-2-6-4. The jump from fourth to sixth and back down to second and third suggests a horse that is finding its rhythm, and finishing second last time out is about as close as you can get without actually winning. A horse that places without winning can sometimes be frustrating to follow, but Hurlyburly at least gives its supporters something to cheer about most weeks.
What adds real interest here is the training base. Jedd O'Keeffe operates out of Coverham in North Yorkshire, a yard that has sent out 18 winners already this season — a solid, productive operation that clearly knows how to get a horse ready to perform. O'Keeffe has a reputation for patient handling, and a horse with Hurlyburly's profile — consistent, placed, improving — looks exactly like the kind of project a yard like this can bring to a first win at the right moment. With a race as recently as yesterday, this is a horse very much in the thick of its season, fit and active and presumably being placed carefully to find the right opportunity.
The first win, when it comes, may not be far away.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hexham Undulating |
1 | 1 third | 13 Apr | 0% |
| Market Rasen Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 26 Nov | 0% |
| Wetherby Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 27 Dec | 0% |
| Haydock Park Galloping |
1 | 1 second | 5 Mar | 0% |