American State

His most recent victory came at Southwell on 5 April, four months ago now — a gap that hints at either bad luck or a struggle to recapture that winning form. His last six runs tell the story of a horse treading water: a second place most recently, but sandwiched around a string of mid-field finishes, including two tenth-place runs. The second just last time out shows he is still competitive, but the wins have dried up. Kieran Shoemark has partnered him five times, winning once (a 20 per cent win rate), and the gelding has yet to prove a reliable money-spinner under any single pilot.

Trained by Ivan Furtado at Wiseton in South Yorkshire, American State runs for a yard that has been in good form this season with 43 winners already. That productive training base suggests the horse is not without ability, but neither has he blossomed into anything special. His career earnings and modest record at this level point to a hard-working, occasionally effective campaigner — the kind of horse that wins just often enough to keep the yard interested but hardly the makings of a star. Still active and racing just yesterday, he remains a work in progress.