Deadheat

The most telling detail is the partnership with Mr N McParlan, who has been in the saddle for 9 of those 11 races and is yet to trouble the judge either. Nine races together, zero wins, zero places — it's a combination that hasn't clicked yet, though clearly the team keep faith in it. The yard is trained by S McParlan, also based in Newry, Co Down, which suggests this is very much a family operation, and Deadheat is something of a yard regular. The stable has sent out one winner this season, so it's not a yard drowning in firepower, but winners are clearly possible.

The recent form figures — 10, pulled up, 9, 7, pulled up, 7 — tell their own story. The dashes in that sequence represent races where Deadheat didn't finish, and the finishing positions on either side of them aren't encouraging. Tenth and ninth are deep in the field. A seventh-place finish is the closest thing to a highlight in recent outings, which gives you a sense of the level this horse is operating at. At 11 years old, most horses are winding down, and Deadheat has never had a peak to wind down from, at least not in recorded form. The fact it raced yesterday and is still active is the most remarkable thing about it — sheer persistence, if nothing else.