Va Va Vroom

That single win came at Leopardstown in July 2024, and it was notable enough at the time that the yard were eyeing a serious next step — the Debutante Stakes, a prestigious race for younger horses. She showed enough promise over seven furlongs to a mile, a distance range in which she has won 1 from 6 races (around 1 in every 6), to suggest she belonged in better company. Then came Deauville. Cromwell sent her to France for a Group 2 — one of the top races in Europe — and she disappointed. His explanation is telling: heavy rain the night before transformed the ground into the kind of soft, wet conditions that simply don't suit her. His phrase is vivid: she likes to hear her hooves rattle, meaning she wants fast, dry ground under her feet. On slow going, she was never travelling.

She hasn't won in her last six races, with her most recent run just yesterday, and that Leopardstown win is now 22 months in the past. The recent form figures — finishing out of the places more often than not — might look discouraging. But Cromwell is measured about where she is right now. Her work at home is starting to come together, he says, and some warmer weather would help. That's a trainer who knows his horse well enough to be patient rather than panicked.

Shane Foley has ridden her in five of those nine races and won on her once, giving them a 20% win rate together — 1 win from 5 — which is actually a decent hit rate in a sport where finding the right combination of horse, jockey, and conditions is half the battle. If the ground firms up and Cromwell finds the right opportunity, Va Va Vroom may yet remind people why she had them excited in the summer of 2024.