Lovethiswayagain

The recent form tells an interesting story. Back-to-back second-place finishes suggest this is a horse that genuinely competes — it is not drifting in at the back of the field, it is getting beaten by a single rival. Then came a fourth, a blank run in the middle, and a sixth on the most recent outing before that, with another sixth at the start of the sequence. The pattern is inconsistent enough to keep you guessing, but those two seconds are a reminder that Lovethiswayagain has been right there on the line before.

The horse typically runs at Class 4 level, which sits in the middle of the racing ladder — not the very top, but competitive enough that beating your rivals is no formality. At that level, the record is a clean zero from four races, which means every time Lovethiswayagain has faced its most familiar standard of competition, it has come away without a win. That is the puzzle the team at Marlborough needs to solve.

The yard itself is in solid form. Trainer Ollie Sangster has sent out 40 winners this season, which is the mark of an operation that knows how to get horses ready to perform. That gives some optimism that when Lovethiswayagain does click into place, there will be a team capable of finding the right race at the right moment to make it happen. The first win, when it comes, will have been a long time coming — and probably well earned.