Fine As Wine

The eight-year-old has picked up two placed finishes from those seven outings, which at least shows it can get into the mix occasionally. But the recent form makes for tough reading: two sixth-place finishes followed by back-to-back third-place efforts, and then two more blanks. That pattern — briefly looking like it might improve, then fading again — is the kind of thing that tests patience. Benjamin Macey has been in the saddle for six of those seven races and is still waiting for his first win aboard the horse, which is a partnership that hasn't quite clicked yet.

Fine As Wine races at Class 4 level, which sits in the middle of the British racing ladder — not the elite stuff, but not the bottom rung either. Winning even at this tier requires a horse to be performing consistently well, and Fine As Wine simply hasn't managed that so far across four attempts at this grade. Trainer Gary Hanmer, based in Tattenhall, Cheshire, has had 19 winners out of his yard this season, so he clearly knows how to get a horse to the front — Fine As Wine just hasn't been the one to do it yet.

The horse raced just yesterday, which means it is very much an active runner still being tested and placed in search of that elusive first win. At eight years old, time isn't exactly on its side, but horses have surprised people before. For now though, Fine As Wine remains one of racing's honest competitors — turning up, finishing in the frame occasionally, and leaving the winning to someone else.