You Make Me Smile

There are hints of where You Make Me Smile might still find another victory. On slightly soft ground — the sort of wet or muddy conditions that can suit certain horses — it has won twice from eight races, a 25% win rate that stands out sharply against its overall 10%. At Sligo, a track it knows well, it has managed two wins from seven races. Those numbers suggest there are specific conditions and places where this horse has an edge, but that edge has not translated into a winning streak. The trainer, P A Fahy at Leighlinbridge in County Carlow, has sent out nine winners this season, so the yard is in good form — which makes the long gap since You Make Me Smile's last victory all the more telling.

What is striking is how little a change of jockey seems to have helped. Ms C A Walsh has ridden the horse six times in recent campaigns and has yet to register a win, which raises the question of whether the problem lies with finding the right conditions and race rather than the saddle. After a race just yesterday, You Make Me Smile remains active at eight years old. If the right ground comes up and the trainer can steer it back to Sligo or another course where the horse has found form, there may be another chapter to write. For now, though, it is a horse that promises more than it delivers.