Big Apple Jack

The recent form makes for interesting reading. In its last six races, Big Apple Jack has finished second twice, which suggests the ability is genuinely there. The problem is the inconsistency sitting either side of those efforts — an eighth and a tenth sandwiched in between paint the picture of a horse that blows hot and cold. It raced just yesterday, so it is as live and active as they come right now.

Joanna Mason has been the regular partner, teaming up seven times without a win between them. That's a long run without reward for a jockey-horse combination, but Mason keeps coming back, which suggests there's something about this horse worth persisting with. Sometimes it takes time for a partnership to click.

The yard behind Big Apple Jack is Michael and David Easterby, a well-established operation based in Sheriff Hutton in North Yorkshire. With 55 winners already on the board this season, this is clearly a yard that knows how to get horses winning. That makes Big Apple Jack something of an outlier in their string — a horse that has so far resisted all efforts to get it to the front. Typically running at Class 5 level, which is the bread-and-butter tier of British racing, it has drawn a blank across all five of those appearances. At this level, a win should be within reach for a horse showing the occasional placed effort.

Big Apple Jack is essentially a puzzle that hasn't been solved yet. It's competitive enough to finish second, active enough to have raced thirteen times, and backed by a trainer with plenty of firepower. The first win, when it eventually comes, will feel well earned.