Tomas O Maille

What softens the picture slightly is the placing record. Eleven times from 36 races he has finished close enough to collect prize money without quite getting his nose in front. That suggests a horse who is competitive at his level, just not quite good enough to win consistently — the sort of honest, reliable sort who makes trainers and owners work hard for every penny.

His recent form tells a more difficult story. In his last six races, his finishing positions read 9-10-5-12-6, plus one run where he didn't complete the course. Nothing there to set the pulse racing. The fifth-place finish is the bright spot, but the rest suggest he has been finding life tough lately. Crucially, that one career win at Ballinrobe came roughly 13 months ago, and he hasn't been able to reproduce it since.

His most regular partner in the saddle is Ambrose McCurtin, and together they've won 1 from 13 races — about 1 in every 13 attempts, which is a modest return but reflects what the horse has to offer rather than any failing on the jockey's part. Trainer M Flannery has sent out 2 winners this season, so the yard is ticking over, and Tomas O Maille raced just one day ago, meaning he is very much still an active part of the operation.

At nine years old, with one win from 36 races and a tough recent run of form, Tomas O Maille is not a horse you'd back with your rent money. But there is something quietly admirable about a horse who keeps showing up, who has placed eleven times without throwing in the towel, and who did — just once, at Ballinrobe — find a way to win. Whether he can do it again is the question his team will be hoping to answer.