The Dara Man

The most interesting fact is that it loves normal ground, winning 2 of 13 races on that surface — a 15% win rate. On other conditions it barely wins at all. This is the sort of detail that matters to a trainer because it narrows the puzzle: find the right ground, get Mullins in the saddle, and The Dara Man becomes a different prospect. John Patrick Ryan's yard at Templemore has sent out 21 winners this season, which is solid form, and the trainer knows this horse's quirks by now.

The elephant in the room is that it last won on 10 August 2024 — over two years ago. Since then, nothing. Its form line reads 4-–-3-8-–-–, a patchy sequence of minor placings and unplaced runs, and it raced just a day ago without finishing in the money. At 11, with that long drought, The Dara Man is a veteran treading water. It is the kind of horse that keeps racing because it is sound and there is no compelling reason to stop, but it has given most of what it has to give. For a punter, there is nothing here to chase. For a trainer, it is reliable company — a fixture that will turn out, try its best, and fill a card.