There are horses who build reputations on dominance.
And then there are those who build reputations on almost.
Over the years we have seen plenty of gallopers become famous for being the perennial bridesmaid. None more so than Tom Melbourne. He finished second 14 times during his career, often looming as the winner before finding one better late. He became a running joke, a source of heartbreak and humour in equal measure.
But here is the twist. While he was famous for seconds, he still amassed more than $1.4 million in prizemoney. Being the bridesmaid is not always such a bad gig.
Which brings us to a mare racing at Eagle Farm on Wednesday in race two who might just be Queensland’s latest cult hero.
Get Gibbo’s full set of tips for Eagle Farm on Wednesday
Punters outside the Sunshine State may not know much about Paper Doll. She is a daughter of More Than Ready and is trained on the Gold Coast by the astute Les Kelly. On raw ability, she is more than capable of winning a maiden. The problem is not talent. It is timing.
From 11 career starts she has finished runner-up nine times.
Nine.
It gets even better, or worse depending on how you view it.
She has had seven starts this preparation and has run second in every single one of them. She even began the campaign with a trial. Yes, she ran second in that as well. At this point it feels less like coincidence and more like branding.
To her credit, she has been placed well and the market has consistently respected her. She has often been hard in the betting, including last start when she jumped a $1.65 favourite. She travelled into the race, hit the lead at one stage and looked the winner, only to be beaten 1.2 lengths. Close enough to give punters hope. Far enough to sting.
Now she backs up quickly into Race 2 at Eagle Farm.
Surely someone is setting a market on her to run second again.
The great irony is that if she keeps going like this, she may end up building a prizemoney tally that is nothing to sneeze at, just like Tommy Melbourne before her. Racing can be cruel, but it can also be wonderfully quirky.
And if Wednesday is the day she finally breaks through, the cheer will be genuine, heartfelt and probably accompanied by a collective sigh of relief from punters who have ridden the rollercoaster with her.
Because sometimes the nearly horse becomes the most fascinating horse of all.
