Tullabrack Lad

The recent form makes for equally tough reading. In his last six races, the best he has shown is a fifth-place finish, with a ninth and a tenth also in that stretch, plus two runs where he failed to complete the course. That is not the profile of a horse on the cusp of a breakthrough — it is one that is, at this stage, consistently finishing in the back half of the field.

What is perhaps most striking is his partnership with jockey Benjamin P Kennedy. The two have been paired together ten times, which suggests real commitment from the team — you do not keep putting the same rider up unless you believe something is coming. But those ten races together have produced nothing: no wins, no places, nothing in the return column. Ten attempts is a long run of faith to have repaid with silence.

To his credit, Tullabrack Lad raced just yesterday, so whatever else you say about him, he is active and still being given opportunities at the age of seven. The team clearly has not given up. Sometimes a horse does find a chink of light — the right conditions, the right day, the right race — and suddenly everything clicks. It would be a fine story if Tullabrack Lad managed to write that ending. Right now, though, he remains one of racing's great works in progress.