Nibbles

The recent run of form tells an interesting story. Go back six races and you find finishes of 9th, 7th, 3rd, 5th, 5th, and — most recently — 13th. That third place is the spark of hope in an otherwise difficult sequence, proof that Nibbles can mix it with rivals when things go right. The 13th-place finish last time out is harder to explain away, though the horse was back racing just yesterday, so the yard clearly have not given up on finding the right opportunity.

The partnership with jockey Mr T O'Connor is perhaps the most remarkable footnote in this story — and not in the way either of them would want. Sixteen races together, zero wins. That is a long road to travel with nothing to show for it, and yet they keep lining up together, which says something about the faith the team has in the combination. Whether that faith is well-placed is, at this point, a question only the racecourse can answer.

At nine years old, Nibbles is not a young horse with years of improvement ahead. Most horses at this stage of their career have already written their story. But racing has a habit of producing moments that make no logical sense, and every time Nibbles heads to the track — as it did just yesterday — there is always the slim, stubborn possibility that today is the day the duck finally gets broken.