Downpatrick

The one genuine bright spot here is the jockey, Donagh Meyler, who has been in red-hot form — winning 4 from 12 rides in the last two weeks, the best recent win rate of any jockey in this field. The horse itself finished 11th here at Downpatrick just 40 days ago, beaten 71 lengths, so the task is steep. A jockey in form can only do so much.

Both of Dinoland's career wins have come on good, dry ground — and today's surface is noticeably wetter than that, which is a real concern. The recent form figures are hard to read clearly, with the last two runs not fully detailed, and three pulled-up efforts in the record are a worry on a track that demands stamina. Hard to make a case here.

This horse's data contains a contradiction — listed as absent for 108 days yet also said to have raced at Down Royal just four days ago, so the recent form picture is unclear. What is clear is that his sole career win came back in October 2022 and he fell at Down Royal 108 days ago, which is never an ideal confidence booster. Hard to assess with confidence given the incomplete picture.

At 12 years old, this horse has taken 30 races to finally land a win — and it did exactly that at Down Royal just 26 days ago, so he arrives here in the best form of his career. The concern is that his record shows he has never won on anything other than good, dry ground, and today's slightly wet surface is precisely the kind of condition he has consistently failed to handle. Fresh confidence versus unhelpful ground.

One of only a handful of course winners in this field, having won here at Downpatrick, which counts for something on a track that can catch horses out. However, that win came on good ground, and this horse has never won on softer conditions — a pattern shared by several rivals. A 63-length beating at Wexford last time out is hard to brush aside.

Thirteen races in and still without a win — and crucially, this horse has never raced on slightly wet ground like today's, so we simply don't know how it handles these conditions. A distant 13th at Clonmel last time out does nothing to build confidence. With no wins and limited evidence to work from, this is one of the bigger unknowns in the field.

At 13, this is the oldest horse in the field, and the record of two wins from 22 races tells you it has never been prolific. The market has largely ignored it at 34-1 despite a rating that sits above the field average, which is an unusual disconnect. Recent runs have been well beaten, and there is nothing in the data to suggest today's conditions will unlock something new.

Nineteen races and still without a win — the longest winless record in the field alongside a couple of others. She pulled up at Tramore just 18 days ago, which is not an encouraging note to arrive on, and there was a gap of nearly two years between her second and third most recent runs, suggesting this horse has had its share of problems. Very difficult to make a case for her.

The lowest-rated horse in the field by some distance — carrying the lightest weight but still rated 17 points below the field average, which reflects how far he sits below these rivals on form. Fifteen races without a win or even a placed finish is the worst record of any horse here, and this is the first time his jockey and trainer have worked together. A lot has to go right.