Guernesey

Those two wins are now separated by a significant stretch of time. The first came at Exeter in October 2021, and the second at Warwick in October 2022 — and there has been nothing since. That second win was 43 months ago, which in racing terms is a long wait. Guernesey has run six times since without getting back to the winner's enclosure, though the recent form is not without encouragement: finishing second twice and fourth twice in that run suggests the horse is competing honestly, just not quite finding enough on the day.

The level Guernesey typically competes at tells part of the story. Class 3 races sit in the mid-to-upper tier of the sport, and over 17 attempts at that level, the horse has yet to win — a record of 0 from 17. That is a stubborn blank, and it suggests the horse is regularly meeting rivals that are just a touch too good. Reaching the places as often as it has, though, shows it is not out of its depth — it just has not found the right moment to push through.

Jockey Joshua Thompson has been in the saddle for six of those races without a win between them, though that is as much a reflection of the broader drought as anything specific to the partnership. The yard is trained by Jackie Stephen in Lilliesleaf, Roxburghshire — a small Scottish operation that has sent out three winners this season, showing it is capable of getting horses to the track in winning form.

Guernesey raced just one day ago, which means it is very much in active campaign. At ten, it is an experienced competitor that has seen enough racecourses to know what is expected of it. Whether another win is coming is genuinely hard to say — 43 months is a long time — but the recent placed runs suggest the horse has not given up on making its trainer's patience worthwhile.