Springboard

The overall record — one win and two places from eight races — tells the story of a horse that has been competitive without quite getting over the line. That is a win rate of around 1 in every 8 races, which is modest, but the recent form makes for more interesting reading. In the last six runs, Springboard has finished 1st, 4th, 6th, 3rd, 6th, and 11th (reading most recent first). Flip that around and you can see a horse that was well beaten, then gradually found its feet, placed third, dipped again, then placed fourth, and finally won. There is a shape to that progression that suggests the Limerick win was not a fluke.

The horse is trained by Michael J McDonagh, based in Shannon, Co Clare — so Limerick is practically home turf, and winning there carries a certain local significance. McDonagh's yard has sent out five winners already this season, which shows it is in decent form and capable of getting horses ready to win. Jockey Cian Quirke has partnered Springboard in six of its eight races without winning together before this week's success, meaning that partnership had been building toward this moment for some time.

At seven, Springboard is not a youngster with years of development ahead. But horses can surprise you, and a first win — especially one that arrives on the back of improving recent form — sometimes marks a turning point rather than a one-off. Whether there is more to come will depend on how the yard place it next, but for now, Springboard has its winner's photo at Limerick, and that counts for something.