War Rooms

That said, there is a layer of context worth noting. War Rooms has been tested regularly at Class 1 level — the very top tier of British racing — without winning any of those four attempts. That is not necessarily a disgrace. Getting a horse into top-level races at all is an achievement, and competing there often means running against the best animals in training. The issue is that War Rooms has not been able to translate that exposure into results, and the gap between its one win and its current form is now almost three years.

Gerard Keane trains the horse from his base in Trim, County Meath, and his yard has sent out 10 winners already this season, so the operation is in decent health. War Rooms raced just one day ago, meaning it remains actively campaigned and the team clearly has not given up on finding another opening. Whether that opening comes will likely depend on finding conditions and a race that suit — because on what we have seen recently, this is a horse in search of a confidence-boosting opportunity rather than one knocking on the door of a big occasion.