Obsidian Verse

The recent form tells a story of inconsistency. In the last six runs, the horse has finished third, eighth, sixth, fifth, first, and eighth, which is the kind of pattern that makes trainers and owners dig deeper into why. That win came in the middle of a rougher patch, and the two most recent runs have both been eighth-place finishes, suggesting Obsidian Verse is struggling to find the winning formula again. At Class 4 — the lower end of competitive racing — a horse really ought to be winning more often than once every nine attempts. James Fanshawe, who trains Obsidian Verse from his Newmarket yard, has been prolific this season with 44 winners to his name, so the horse has the benefit of a trainer and team clearly capable of getting the best out their charges.

What Obsidian Verse needs is a change of luck or perhaps a drop in class where it can rebuild confidence. The Southwell win five months ago proved it can get the job done, but the form since then suggests that was more good fortune than evidence of a horse about to go on a winning run. At three years old there is still time to develop, and the yard's record suggests it will keep trying.