Bobby Dassler

The horse finds his sweet spot at distances between 1m1f and 1m2f, where he has won 3 of 27 races — double his overall rate. That is where Barry John Murphy's yard, based in Carmarthenshire, has learned to get the best out of him. His most recent win came at Chepstow three months ago, and his racing pattern suggests he is a horse that needs time between runs. After a long gap, he tends to run well; after back-to-back efforts, he fades. His last six races show the familiar pattern of a horse treading water — a third-place finish followed by a string of seventh-place efforts, suggesting he is marking time at his current level. Darragh Keenan has ridden him five times without a win, which hints that he may not be the ideal partner, though with only small sample sizes at play here it is hard to draw firm conclusions.

At Class 6 level, Bobby Dassler has won once from 22 races, which tells you he is near the limit of what he can achieve. He is not a horse that will make the headlines or turn over the betting odds, but he is the kind of animal that pays for his keep through dogged application and occasional success. The win at Chepstow in June will have felt good to the yard, and if the yard can find the right race, at the right distance, at the right time, he might add a fourth win to his name. For now, he remains active and available — racing within days of his last start — and doing his job without complaint.