Assured

Tom Gretton trains Assured from his yard in Inkberrow, Worcestershire, and it would be unfair to lay this at his door — the stable has sent out 13 winners already this season, so the operation clearly knows how to get horses winning. Assured has simply not been one of them yet. Most of its races have come at Class 6, which is the entry-level tier of British racing — essentially the starting point for horses finding their feet in the sport. Even there, it has drawn a blank in all three attempts, which suggests the horse may need everything to fall perfectly in its favour before that elusive first victory arrives.

Raced just yesterday, Assured is very much an active runner, and there will be more chances to come. Every horse that eventually wins has a losing run somewhere in its story — the question is whether Assured's turning point is just around the corner, or whether the finishing positions need to improve significantly before that day arrives.