Isle Of Lismore

The broader picture, though, is one of a horse that has been searching for its best. Isle Of Lismore hasn't won since Ascot in May 2024 — nearly two years ago now — and the last six runs have brought nothing better than a fourth place. Its most common level, Class 3, has produced just 1 win from 13 races, a rate of around 1 in every 13, which tells you this is a competitive horse operating in competitive fields. It can place — 12 times in 32 races it has finished in the money without winning — but getting its head in front has become the hard part.

There is also the matter of an absence. Isle Of Lismore hasn't raced in roughly eight months, which is a significant break. Horses returning from that kind of layoff can go one of two ways: freshened up and ready to run, or needing a race or two to find their rhythm. Trainer Robert Cowell, who operates out of Newmarket, has had a productive season with 26 winners from his yard, so this horse is in capable hands for whatever comes next.

Jockey Hayley Turner, who has ridden Isle Of Lismore more than anyone else, has a record of 1 win from 6 rides together — that's roughly 1 in every 6, which actually nudges above the horse's overall win rate of 12%. Their partnership hasn't clicked often, but it has clicked. A seven-year-old returning from a long break, trained at the same town where it has its best track record — if Isle Of Lismore is going to remind people what it can do, a run back at Newmarket would be the place to start looking.