Loyal Praetorian

Those four places tell you the horse is competitive enough to be in the mix, just not quite able to get to the front when it matters. Think of it as the team that keeps finishing second in the league: clearly good enough to belong at this level, but missing that final edge that turns promise into a result. Out of ten races, it has placed in four of them, which is actually a reasonable return for a horse yet to win — it is not simply making up the numbers.

The partnership with amateur rider Mr L M Kelleher is the defining relationship of Loyal Praetorian's career so far. The pair have raced together seven times — that is seven of the horse's ten outings — without managing a win between them. That kind of loyalty to one combination suggests the team around this horse genuinely believes in what Kelleher and Loyal Praetorian can do together, even if the scoreboard has not yet reflected that faith. With a third place among the last six runs, there are flickers of encouragement to hold onto.

Loyal Praetorian raced just one day ago, so this is a horse very much in the thick of it right now. Whether that first win is just around the corner or remains an elusive target is the question everyone connected to this horse is asking. At six, time is not running out entirely, but the window for a breakthrough is not getting any wider either. Every race from here carries a little extra weight.