Captain Bentley

The level he competes at tells its own story. Captain Bentley races almost exclusively at Class 6, which is the lowest tier of British racing — the entry point, where horses with modest ability or horses finding their feet tend to line up. Even there, he has won just 1 of 18 races at that level, a win rate of roughly 6%, or about 1 in every 17. That is a horse that competes without ever quite getting his nose in front. He has placed three times across his career, so he is not without effort, but the winner's enclosure has remained largely out of reach.

His recent form makes for sobering reading. In his last six races, his finishing positions read 8th, 6th, 10th, 13th, 11th, and 6th — the most recent first. There is no obvious upward curve there, and he has not won in any of those six outings. His regular jockey Charlie Bennett has been in the saddle for seven of his races together and is yet to ride him to a win, which is one of those partnerships that has not yet clicked on the scoreboard.

He is trained by Michael Mullineaux, based at Alpraham in Cheshire — a small yard that has sent out three winners this season, which shows the stable can find the winner's circle, even if Captain Bentley himself has not contributed to that tally recently. Raced just one day ago, he is at least an active and busy campaigner, and at five years old there is still time for things to change. But for now, he is the kind of horse who asks for patience from everyone around him.