Black Occ

The recent form tells a similar story. In its last six races, Black Occ has finished second twice and third once, which sounds promising until you realise there have been no wins mixed in. That kind of consistency in placing without converting is a little like a footballer who keeps hitting the post — the quality is clearly there, but something is not quite clicking at the crucial moment. Its most recent run was just yesterday, so this is a horse very much in the thick of its season right now.

Regular jockey Sean Houlihan has been aboard for five of those races and is yet to ride Black Occ to victory either, going 0 from 5 together. That is not necessarily a reflection on either horse or rider — sometimes a pairing just needs the right race on the right day to turn things around. The level Black Occ competes at, Class 4, is solidly mid-tier racing, and it has run four times at that level without winning, suggesting it may need conditions or a race setup to fall particularly kindly.

Trainer Sheila Lewis operates out of Brecon in Powys, a small yard by the standards of the sport, and has sent out five winners this season — proof that the team knows how to get a horse ready to win. The patience being shown with Black Occ speaks to a belief that the breakthrough can still come. For a horse with four places already on its record, it would only take one thing to go right on the day for the story to change completely.