Blue Bear

What makes the story slightly puzzling is that Blue Bear is not running in the deep end. Class 5 is the lower tier of British racing, where horses are more evenly matched and winners are there to be found — yet in 10 races at that level, Blue Bear has not managed to get its nose in front once. The most recent six runs have produced a string of fourth and fifth place finishes, which at least tells you the horse is not finishing last or pulling up. It is competitive enough to be in the mix, just not competitive enough to win.

Tom Midgley has ridden Blue Bear five times without a win between them, and the partnership has yet to click in the way both horse and rider will be hoping for. That said, Blue Bear raced just yesterday, so the yard — sorry, the yard — are clearly keeping the horse active and looking for opportunities. Joel Parkinson and Sue Smith, based at High Eldwick in West Yorkshire, have had a productive season with 42 winners sent out, which shows the operation knows how to win races. The fact that Blue Bear has not contributed to that tally is not a reflection on the yard — some horses simply take time, or find a particular kind of race that suits them.

The honest truth is that a horse with no wins from 21 races needs something to change — a different trip, different ground conditions, or simply a race where the stars align. It is not impossible. Plenty of horses have broken a long duck late in their careers. Whether Blue Bear is about to become one of them is the question worth watching.