Thru The Gap

What is striking about those numbers is the direction of travel. The best effort in the last six races was a sixth, and the two most recent runs produced a tenth and a twelfth. That is not a horse finding its feet — it is one that appears to be going the wrong way. Whether that comes down to the type of races it has been running in, the ground it has encountered, or simply the horse needing time to figure things out is something only trainer Patrick Magee and his team at Shercock, Co Cavan will know for certain.

Magee's yard has sent out 8 winners this season, so there is clearly ability within the operation to get horses to the track in winning form. Thru The Gap, raced just yesterday and therefore very much an active project, has not yet been able to tap into that. At some point a decision will have to be made about where this horse fits and whether a different approach might unlock something. For now, the scoreboard reads zero from eight — and patience is being tested.