Ontheropes

The win itself was a good one. Jockey Sean O'Keeffe, riding the horse for the first time that day, described it as a pleasure — jumping was clean after a slight stumble at the first, the horse was easy to position, and O'Keeffe simply let him build into his stride from the top of the hill before holding on comfortably. Thomas Mullins, speaking shortly after, had bigger targets in mind: the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury, one of the most prestigious staying races in Britain, was the stated aim. The preparation, he said at the time, was going well.

What happened next is harder to summarise. That Newbury ambition never materialised into another win. Across 25 career races, Ontheropes has won just once — that is a win rate of 4%, or roughly 1 in every 25 races. Six times it has finished placed without winning, which shows it is competitive enough to be in the mix but rarely able to take that final step. The last six runs tell the same story: a string of mid-field finishes and placed efforts, but nothing more, and a run in sixteenth place in there that suggests the horse's best days may be behind it.

It is worth noting that Mr C Mullins — almost certainly a family connection to trainer Thomas Mullins — has ridden the horse seven times without managing a single win from those seven attempts. The yard at Goresbridge has sent out two winners this season, so it is not a stable without firepower. But Ontheropes, raced as recently as yesterday and still apparently in active training at age 12, remains the horse that the whole team's story seems to hinge on — a reminder of one glorious afternoon at Limerick, and a long road since.