Faerie Cutlass

The horse operates almost exclusively at Class 5, which is the bread-and-butter level of British racing — competitive enough, but not where the big prizes or famous names live. Two wins from 18 races at that level works out at roughly 1 in every 9 attempts, which is a reasonable record without setting the world alight. The recent form figures of 4-7-7-6-4 suggest a horse that has dropped off somewhat from even that standard, consistently finishing in the middle of the pack rather than troubling the judge.

David Bass has been the regular partner in the saddle, riding Faerie Cutlass in 8 of its 25 races and winning once together — that's 1 win from 8, or about 1 in every 8 rides. It's a workmanlike partnership rather than a magical one, though Bass is a smart judge of pace and the connection with the horse clearly exists given how often they're paired up.

The yard behind Faerie Cutlass is the Cheltenham-based operation of Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls, who have sent out 31 winners already this season — a genuinely productive team that clearly knows how to place a horse to give it the best chance of winning. The fact that Faerie Cutlass hasn't obliged despite that level of support around it says something about where the horse is at right now. It raced just yesterday, so it's firmly in the thick of an active campaign, and with a trainer pairing this sharp at finding opportunities, another win isn't out of the question. It may just need the right day and the right race to fall its way.