Defence Missile

Trained by Linda Perratt at East Kilbride in South Lanarkshire, Defence Missile is part of a yard that has been in decent form this season, sending out 19 winners. That makes the horse something of an outlier in the stable — surrounded by winners but yet to become one itself. Perratt runs a busy, productive operation, which at least means Defence Missile is in capable hands, even if the results haven't come.

At Class 4, which represents the middle tier of British racing, Defence Missile has had six chances and drawn a blank every time. That level is not the very top of the sport, but it is competitive enough that going winless across half a dozen attempts is genuinely difficult to ignore. The horse raced just yesterday, so it is clearly being kept busy, and the team shows no signs of giving up on finding the right opportunity. Sometimes all it takes is the right day, the right field, and the right bit of luck — but at 14 races and counting, those elements have not come together yet for Defence Missile.