The Folkes Tiara

That win at Fairyhouse sits 17 months in the past now, and The Folkes Tiara has not added to his tally since. His last six races have returned a string of mid-field finishes — sixth, seventh, seventh, tenth, and a pull-up — and De Bromhead has admitted publicly that his form has tailed off and the yard is trying to find the horse who showed up that day in November. Three wins and 12 places from 26 races overall is a solid career — winning roughly 1 in every 8 races, with a further 12 in the money — but the trajectory at the moment is the wrong way.

Two things matter most to The Folkes Tiara, and neither is a secret. First, the ground. On wet or muddy going he has won 2 of his 9 races — around 1 in every 4 — which is a meaningful uplift on his overall career figures and tells you he is a very different animal when conditions suit. At Leopardstown, De Bromhead was explicit about it: "This ground is key to him as he likes a bit of nice ground." Second, his jumping. When it clicks, as it did in that Fairyhouse race, it can carry him past horses he has no right to beat. When he gets under a fence instead of over it, the momentum goes.

Rachael Blackmore has ridden him in 13 of his 26 races, winning twice — a win rate of around 15%, or roughly 1 in every 6 rides together. De Bromhead's yard has been in fine form this season with 107 winners, so the infrastructure and confidence are there. The Folkes Tiara raced just yesterday, which shows the team have not given up on him. What they are looking for, clearly, is a patch of soft ground, a clear round of jumping, and the horse who produced that wingèd leap at the last.