Imperial Sovereign

What makes Imperial Sovereign's record particularly frustrating is his placement in top-level company. Trainer Philip Kirby, who runs a successful yard at East Appleton in North Yorkshire and has sent out 36 winners this season, has been running the horse predominantly in Class 2 races — some of Britain's most competitive contests. In seven attempts at that level, Imperial Sovereign has failed to win once. His last six runs show the pattern clearly: a placed effort two races ago, but otherwise a string of distant finishes. He raced just yesterday, which suggests the yard still believes there is something to work with, though recent form offers little encouragement.

Clifford Lee has been his regular partner, and has actually fared better on him than the raw numbers suggest — winning 1 of 6 races together (17%), notably better than the horse's overall record. That slight rapport might offer a glimmer of hope, but for now Imperial Sovereign remains a horse that has not won in 32 months and is competing in the kind of races where that kind of drought is hard to forgive.