Fitzmaurice

What makes this particularly puzzling is the environment Fitzmaurice has been placed in. Class 5 is the entry level of British racing — these are the races designed to give horses exactly like this one a chance to win. In four attempts at that level, the record still reads zero from four. That is not a horse being pitched in above its station; that is a horse struggling even when the conditions are made as favourable as they can be.

The trainer, Tony Carroll, is no mug. Operating out of Cropthorne in Worcestershire, his yard has sent out 136 winners this season — that is a serious operation, and Carroll clearly knows how to get horses running. The fact that a yard this productive has not yet found the key to Fitzmaurice is worth noting. It does not reflect badly on the team; some horses simply take time, or find their moment unexpectedly. Fitzmaurice raced just one day ago, so Carroll is keeping the horse active and clearly has not given up. Sometimes the answer is simply persistence, and 136 winners in a season suggests Carroll is not short of patience or know-how. At 4 years old, there is still time — but the clock is ticking, and the record right now offers very little to go on.