Emberscombe

Tickle's yard has been in decent form this season, sending out 20 winners, which makes Emberscombe something of an outlier in the stable. The horse typically races at Class 5, which is the entry level of British racing — these are races designed to give horses exactly like Emberscombe a realistic chance of winning. Going 0 from 9 at that level is a tough record to look past. It suggests this is a horse that simply finds one or two rivals too good on the day, week after week.

Regular jockey Rex Dingle has been aboard for five of those races and is yet to ride Emberscombe into the winner's enclosure either, making them something of a partnership in frustration. That said, the horse raced just yesterday and is clearly still in training and still being given opportunities — Tickle hasn't given up, and at nine years old there is no guarantee that win won't eventually come. Stranger things have happened in racing. But Emberscombe's followers will need to keep the faith a little longer.