Ringdufferin

Those two wins came in quick succession in the autumn of 2023, and for a brief moment it looked like Ringdufferin might be building into something. The first came at Downpatrick in September 2023, and jockey Jack Kennedy noted afterwards that the horse had done it the easy way — stealing a lead up front and simply galloping his rivals into the ground. "He stays well," Kennedy said, and that quality of grinding relentlessly forward is often what separates horses who win on sheer determination rather than raw brilliance. The second win followed just two weeks later at Gowran Park, and trainer A L T Moore was already thinking big, floating the idea of a trip to Cheltenham for a Pertemps qualifier. It was an exciting moment for the yard, based in Naas, Co Kildare.

But that Cheltenham dream never materialised, or at least hasn't yet. Since that Gowran Park win in late September 2023 — now 32 months ago — Ringdufferin has not won again. His last six runs read 6th, 11th, fell or unseated, 14th, 4th, 8th, which is a sequence that shows occasional glimpses of form mixed with some difficult days. The 4th place finish is the one to hold onto, suggesting the ability is still there, but converting it into a win has proved elusive. Moore's yard has sent out 3 winners this season, so the team is in decent shape — Ringdufferin just hasn't been the one to add to that tally yet.

At 8 years old, horses can absolutely continue to win — it is not old in racing terms — but the longer a winless run stretches, the harder the momentum is to rebuild. Whether Ringdufferin can recapture those sharp autumn days of 2023 is the question his supporters will be hoping yesterday's run helps answer.