His recent form makes for slightly uncomfortable reading: a fourth, a sixth, two blanks where he didn't complete, an eighth, and another sixth. That's his last six outings, and there's no obvious upward curve there. He raced just yesterday, so he is very much an active campaigner, and trainer Joe Tickle — based at Stoodleigh in Devon — clearly hasn't given up on him. Tickle's yard has sent out 20 winners this season, which is a decent return and suggests there's genuine ability being nurtured there. Locked Down Lad, for now, is just not the one adding to that tally.
The level he competes at is worth noting. Class 5 is towards the bottom end of the racing ladder in Britain — these are races designed to give horses a fair chance of winning, rather than tests against the very best. And yet, in nine races at that level, Locked Down Lad has still not managed to win. Zero from nine. That's the kind of stat that makes you tilt your head. It doesn't mean he's without merit — plenty of horses take time, and placed finishes at any level require some ability — but it does suggest that whatever his ceiling is, he hasn't yet found a way to break through it. Whether that changes in the races ahead is the question his trainer is presumably still trying to answer.
| Course | Races | Results | Last run | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester Galloping |
5 | 1 second, 1 third, 3 other | 16 Jul | 0% |
| Chepstow Galloping |
4 | 1 second, 3 other | 26 Mar | 0% |
| Exeter Undulating |
3 | 3 other | 7 Apr | 0% |
| Fontwell Park Tight |
2 | 1 third, 1 other | 7 Sep | 0% |
| Windsor Sharp |
1 | 1 third | 23 Nov | 0% |
| Newton Abbot Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 4 Jun | 0% |