Pinar Del Rio

Both wins came in a tight ten-day window back in May 2024 — first at The Curragh, then at Limerick — which suggests that when things click for Pinar Del Rio, they really click. The Curragh is one of Ireland's most prestigious venues, so a winner there is nothing to be sniffed at. But that Limerick victory on 16 May 2024 now stands as the last time this horse has seen the winning post, and with 24 months having passed since, the question of whether that purple patch can be repeated hangs over every run.

Recent form hasn't offered much encouragement. Over the last six races, Pinar Del Rio has finished 12th, 16th, 9th, 4th, 10th, and 5th — a sequence that shows the odd decent effort but no real momentum building. The horse raced just yesterday, which means it's being kept busy, and staying active can sometimes shake a horse back into form. But there's no disguising the fact that this is a seven-year-old searching for answers.

The most interesting relationship in the horse's career is with jockey Ronan Whelan, who has partnered Pinar Del Rio six times and been on board for both wins — a win rate of 2 from 6, or roughly 1 in every 3 rides together. That's a striking number and suggests a genuine understanding between horse and rider. Whether Whelan is back in the saddle when the moment finally arrives again could matter more than most might think.

Trainer Alan McIntyre operates out of Clifden in Kilkenny and has sent out three winners this season, so the yard is ticking over. McIntyre will know this horse well by now, and the challenge is finding the right opportunity to remind everyone what Pinar Del Rio looked like in that bright ten days fourteen months ago.