Curious Mrs Fox

She races almost exclusively at Class 6, which is the entry level of British racing — the races where horses are competing at the lowest tier of the sport. That is not a criticism; every race needs runners, and horses at this level still take genuine skill to train and manage. But it does mean she has never been asked to step up against better horses, and her 0 wins from 22 races at that level suggests even in the most accessible company she finds winning elusive. Her recent form — finishing fourth, sixth, sixth, third, fourth, and eighth in her last six races — shows she occasionally threatens without delivering, with that third place a rare sign of life in an otherwise mid-pack sequence.

Jockey Amie Waugh has ridden her nine times without a win, which is a notable partnership to have maintained without a breakthrough. That said, trainer David Thompson's yard at Bolam in County Durham has sent out nine winners this season, so this is not an operation short of ability. Curious Mrs Fox simply appears to be one of those horses that earns her keep by taking part rather than by winning — and given she raced just yesterday, she is clearly a willing and durable competitor. Some horses never win and still clock up years of honest effort. She looks like one of them.