Mythical

The partnership with jockey Phil Dennis has not unlocked anything either. The pair have raced together eight times without a win, and at Class 4 level — broadly the fourth tier of British racing, where horses of modest ability tend to operate — Mythical has gone 0 from 11. Class 4 is not the top table, but it is a perfectly respectable level to win at, and the fact that Mythical cannot convert there underlines the challenge.

What is worth noting is that Mythical is clearly a tough, sound horse. Still racing at nine years old and lining up just yesterday, this is an animal that keeps turning up. Most horses with this kind of record fade from training yards long before they reach 25 races. Whether the team keeps finding opportunities to run it, or whether the yard are simply hopeful the right race will one day fall into place, Mythical remains an active and apparently willing participant — just one that has never quite managed to put it all together on the day it matters.