A LOSING streak of 30 races and 1,044 days might give you the impression that you were dealing with some form of an equine no-hoper. Well, not if your name is Tom Melbourne (Dylan Thomas), an Irish-bred eight-year-old who captured the headlines two weekends ago in Australia.

Bred by David Ledwith and his father-in-law Peter Reynolds, Tom Melbourne was offered for sale in Book 2 of the 2012 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale but was unsold at 5,000gns. He was next heard of when, making his debut for trainer Andy Oliver, he won a maiden at Dundalk in December 2014, prompting his sale to Australia where he joined Lee and Anthony Freeman.