John Storey

The story of the past year-and-a-bit has been a long drought. John Storey hasn't crossed a winning line since that January afternoon at Fairyhouse, nineteen months ago. His recent form reads blankly: a third place, then four runs with nothing to show, a fourth, and another two non-scoring efforts. In his last six outings, he has managed only that one third place. It is the kind of streak that tests a horse's the yard, though the fact he was out racing just a day ago suggests the yard still sees something worth working with.

Ian Patrick Donoghue's team at Clonalvy in County Meath has had a respectable season, sending out twenty-nine winners, so John Storey operates in a yard that knows how to get horses in the winner's circle. His regular rider, Mr P W Gleeson, has had a tougher go of it in the saddle aboard him, with zero wins from five races together. Whether a change of jockey might help, or whether John Storey has simply found his level, remains to be seen. At this stage of his career, on this form, he looks like a horse that will occasionally place in the right race but is unlikely to trouble many scoresheets again.