Maxi Boy

The numbers make for tough reading. Over his preferred trip of seven furlongs to a mile, he has raced 16 times and won once — a win rate of 6%, or roughly 1 in every 16 races at those distances. He typically competes at Class 4, which sits in the middle of the racing ladder, and there he has run 13 times without ever getting his nose in front. Eight places across his career show he has been competitive enough to finish in the frame, but converting that into wins has proved elusive.

His recent form of 4-11-4-8-8-3 — reading from most recent back — tells a similar story. There are flickers of promise, a third and two fourths suggesting he still has some spark, but the gaps back to the winner have not been closing. He has not won in his last six races, and that sole Newcastle victory is now 21 months in the rearview mirror.

Fionn McSharry's yard has had seven winners this season, so there is form in the stable, and Maxi Boy raced just one day ago, confirming he is fit and active. Whether a second career win is still possible is the question his the yard will quietly be asking themselves. He is not without ability — 25 races at this level with eight places is the profile of a horse that competes honestly — but at nine, with one win to his name, he is the kind of horse who reminds you that in racing, turning up and trying hard does not always mean the result goes your way.