Country Park

The recent form tells a similar story. In its last six races, Country Park has finished third once and second once, with the rest of the runs producing nothing notable. There is clearly some ability there — you do not place in races without it — but placing and winning are very different things, and so far the horse has only managed one of them. It has also been off the track for around three months now, so there will be a degree of ring-rustiness to account with on its return.

The partnership with jockey Jonjo O'Neill Jr has been the most consistent thread through Country Park's career — ten races together, and still no win to show for it. That is a long run without a breakthrough for a combination that has had every opportunity to find one. O'Neill Jr is a capable rider, and the yard he rides for — the Cheltenham-based operation run by his father Jonjo O'Neill and A J O'Neill — has been in good form this season, sending out 52 winners. That makes Country Park something of an outlier in a yard that clearly knows how to get horses winning.

Most of its races have come at Class 4 level — a competitive but accessible tier of racing, not the very top end of the sport, but far from a soft touch. Six races at that level and still no win suggests this is simply the grade where Country Park finds things just that bit too difficult to finish first. Whether a drop in class, a change of conditions, or simply a race that falls right might unlock something different remains to be seen. For now, though, Country Park is the kind of horse that keeps the yard hopeful without quite delivering — and at seven years old, time is starting to become a factor in that equation.