Emberscombe

The yard at Stoodleigh in Devon, run by Joe Tickle, has had a productive season with 20 winners sent out, so the infrastructure and know-how are clearly there. Emberscombe just hasn't been able to take advantage of it. Rex Dingle has been in the saddle for five of those attempts and the pair have yet to get off the mark together, leaving the horse's record with its most regular jockey at 0 from 5. That combination has had plenty of chances to click — it simply hasn't happened yet.

Most of Emberscombe's racing has come at Class 5, the entry level of British racing, and even there it has drawn a blank, going 0 from 9 at that level. That matters, because Class 5 is where horses at this end of the sport are expected to find their opportunities. Recent form reads 2-6-4-4 in its completed runs, which suggests it has been closer at times — a second-place finish is genuinely encouraging — but the gaps in that sequence hint at races where things went wrong entirely. Raced just yesterday and still active, Emberscombe remains in training and the team clearly hasn't given up. Whether that first win is still out there somewhere is the question every run raises afresh.