WHEN PLACINGS ARE THE NEXT BEST OPTION

By Graham Potter | Sunday, January 30, 2022

Every stable goes through periods of time in which winners prove to be elusive. It is just part and parcel of the training game, but the trick then is to keep the stable rolling with the next best option and that is making certain that your clients are still getting a return on their racing investment by getting the best results you can under the circumstances.

January 2022 was just such a time for the Michael Nolan stable.

Apart from the Autumn Haze win on January 1, the stable saddled no less than six horses who claimed a runner-up slot and another three who finished in third place. Of the second placed runners, four of them finished within a length of the winner.

Kisukano, Got The Lot, Skater, Coup, Autumn Daze and I’ll Tell You Now were the horses to add a second place finish to their records while Keepmovingforward, Sandgate Road and American Crown finished in third place.

With Autumn Daze’s win, that means that ten out of the twenty-two runners Michael Nolan sent into action in January finished in the first three places. That’s a 45.45% place strike-rate!

Of the second place-getters, Kisukano’s record has already been well documented, Got The Lot has finished in the first four in nine of his last twelve starts, Skater showed marked improvement in only her second career start, Coup confirmed he is always competitive, Autumn Daze has been living right on the edge of winning having finished second in no less than five of her nine starts while I’ll Tell You Now has had his number in the frame in all four starts this preparation.

Of the third place-getters, Keepmovingforward kept up his absolutely consistent record since moving to the Michael Nolan stable. Under Nolan’s care
Keepmovingforward has recorded two wins, three second placings, two third placings and one fourth place in eight starts.

For his part, Sandgate Road, who has also only had two starts, showed improvement in his second run while American Crown got his best result since her win in November.

While those finishes in the placings was not the preferred option, they still, in their own way, produced an important outcome.

As can be seen from all of the above, while a couple of more wins in January would have been most welcome for the stable, the fact that Nolan trained runners finished in the first three on those ten occasions from twenty-two starts is a fine example of how to keep your head down, stay focussed and produce the best results you can in the circumstances, with the horses you have, until that little bit of good fortune, that almost every winner needs along the way, again comes around in your favour.

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