Frankie Faulkner

The consistency is at least real, if not spectacular. Eleven places from 18 races means Frankie Faulkner finishes in the money more often than not — he is competitive, just not quite good enough to get his nose in front. His recent form backs that up: placed third, seventh, then third again, second, second in his last six runs, with a blank in the middle. He keeps knocking on the door. The frustrating thing is that he competes most often in Class 5 races — the entry-level tier of British racing — and has yet to win a single one of those, going 0 from 11 at that level. His one career win actually came in a different context entirely, which makes it feel almost like an outlier on his CV rather than a foundation to build from.

He is trained by Mrs C Williams at Llancarfan in the Vale of Glamorgan, a small yard that has sent out three winners this season. Regular partner Isabel Williams — most likely a family connection given the shared surname — has ridden him in 15 of his 18 races and been there for his only win, so there is a clear familiarity between horse and rider. That said, 1 win from 15 rides together, a rate of around 7%, shows even that partnership has not unlocked more.

The trainer has spoken with genuine optimism about what Frankie Faulkner can do on the right ground, suggesting that a run on fast ground at Hereford did not suit him and that normal conditions should bring him back to his best. That belief is understandable — trainers do not keep running horses without reason — but after 36 months without a win, supporters will need to see it before they believe it. He raced just yesterday, so he is clearly in good enough health to keep going. Whether he can rediscover that Newton Abbot feeling remains the question.