The recent form makes for sobering reading. In the last six outings, the best Stay In The Game has managed is a second place, and a ninth and a sixth suggest it has been finding things tough of late. With a race just yesterday, this is a horse very much in the thick of its season right now.
Jason Hart, a capable and experienced rider, has been the regular partner, sitting aboard in five of those races without managing to find the winning formula. That's not a criticism of Hart — when a horse hasn't won in 15 career starts, the issue is rarely the jockey. Trainer John Joseph Hanlon, based in Bagenalstown in County Carlow, has been in decent form this season with 11 winners from the yard, so it's not as though the operation is struggling. Stay In The Game simply hasn't found the right opportunity yet.
Whether it ever does is the question. Five placed finishes from 15 races — winning roughly zero times per outing, but placing about 1 in every 3 — paints a picture of a horse that competes honestly without quite having the pace or punch to get its nose in front. For now, staying in the game is genuinely all it is doing.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beverley Undulating |
2 | 1 second, 1 other | 25 Aug | 0% |
| Dundalk Galloping |
2 | 2 other | 13 Feb | 0% |
| Galway Tight |
1 | 1 other | 2 Aug | 0% |
| Haydock Park Galloping |
1 | 1 third | 30 Sep | 0% |
| Catterick Bridge Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 9 Apr | 0% |
| Gowran Park Undulating |
1 | 1 other | 3 Oct | 0% |
| Cheltenham Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 16 Nov | 0% |
| Thurles Undulating |
1 | 1 other | 20 Dec | 0% |
| Clonmel Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 2 Apr | 0% |
| Down Royal Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 4 May | 0% |
| Wexford Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 29 Aug | 0% |
| Redcar Galloping |
1 | 1 second | 20 Jun | 0% |
| Thirsk Galloping |
1 | 1 third | 9 Sep | 0% |