Burgundy Man

His recent form makes grim reading. In his last six outings, he has finished out of the placings on three occasions and never better than fifth. That stretch suggests a horse who is running out of opportunities. Ben Smith, his most frequent rider, has partnered him six times without a win, a partnership that has produced nothing but frustration. Burgundy Man does slightly better in Class 5 races — the lower tiers of British racing — winning 1 in every 12 starts at that level (8%), but even that modest record cannot be sustained at the moment.

At nine years old, Burgundy Man is entering the veteran stage for a racehorse. Trainer R. Mike Smith, based in Galston, East Ayrshire, continues to give him chances, and the yard itself has been in decent form this season with 25 winners overall. But without a win in nearly a year and with recent runs dominated by failures to place, Burgundy Man looks like a horse whose best days, such as they were, have passed. He raced just yesterday, which means the trainer still believes there is a race within his grasp — but the numbers suggest the bookmakers will not be losing sleep about his chances.