What makes the case for My Trump Card is where those two wins came — both at Navan, from 8 attempts there. That is a remarkable affinity with one track. Most horses dip in and out of course form without ever establishing a genuine pattern, but My Trump Card has found something at Navan that he has not found anywhere else. The problem is that his last win there came in January 2024, now 28 months ago, and what looked like the beginning of a course specialist's story has since stalled.
Gordon Elliott, one of the most powerful trainers in Ireland — his yard has sent out 209 winners already this season — has been candid about the puzzle My Trump Card poses. Elliott has noted that the horse works brilliantly at home but simply does not reproduce that form on a racecourse, which is the most maddening kind of horse to train. A switch to fences has not unlocked anything either, and the team is now weighing up whether to try again over them or bring him back over hurdles. Elliott's honest assessment is that he has ability — the question is whether anyone can find the key to releasing it.
After one of his Navan victories, Elliott observed that My Trump Card had a tendency to idle in front and was careless at his hurdles unless he met them perfectly. It painted the picture of a horse with the raw talent but not always the application. At eight years old, time is not endlessly on his side, but with a clean run this season at the track where he has shown his best, there is still a case to be made for him.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navan Galloping |
8 | 2 wins, 1 second, 5 other | 6 Dec | 25% |
| Fairyhouse Galloping |
2 | 1 second, 1 other | 1 Jan | 0% |
| Kilbeggan Tight |
1 | 1 other | 24 Apr | 0% |
| Haydock Park Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 15 Feb | 0% |
| Punchestown Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 31 Dec | 0% |