Mythe Bridge

The recent form is actually more encouraging than the bare record suggests. Going back through the last six races, Mythe Bridge finished second twice and third once before a quiet run in ninth most recently. That sequence — 9, 2, 2, 3, then two blanks — shows a horse that had a decent spell of hitting the frame before things went slightly flat. The short break of 31 days since last racing could be exactly what was needed to freshen things up.

Stan Sheppard has been the regular jockey, riding Mythe Bridge in five of those eight races without managing to convert any of them into a win. That is not necessarily a damning statistic — a horse that has never won is a tough ride for anyone — but it does mean the partnership is still searching for its moment. Sheppard is an experienced jump jockey, and the familiarity between horse and rider could yet count for something.

Henry Daly's yard in Ludlow, Shropshire has sent out 18 winners this season, which shows there is plenty of ability in the stable. Daly is a patient, considered trainer and Mythe Bridge's continued place in the yard suggests the team believe there is a race to be won somewhere. The horse has run four times at Class 4 level — the mid-tier of British racing, where most horses spend their careers — without winning any of them, which raises the question of whether conditions or course have simply not yet aligned in its favour. At eight, the window is not wide, but horses have surprised people before.