Old Bridge

The recent form makes for interesting reading. In the last six races, Old Bridge has finished second twice, suggesting the ability is there — this is not a horse being lapped by the field. A second place means you have beaten almost everyone on the track. Doing it twice in recent months is a reminder that Old Bridge is not simply making up the numbers. The frustration, for anyone following this horse, is that the gap between second and first can feel impossibly small and yet impossibly wide at the same time.

Jack Tudor has been the regular partner in the saddle, teaming up with Old Bridge nine times without a winner between them. That is a significant chunk of this horse's career spent with one jockey, and so far the combination has not cracked the code. Tudor is an able rider, so this is not about blame — sometimes a horse and jockey just need that one day when everything clicks. David Pipe, who trains Old Bridge at his yard in Nicholashayne, Somerset, clearly has faith in the partnership. Pipe's operation is in good health this season with 35 winners already sent out, which means Old Bridge is not sitting in a struggling yard — the platform is there.

The level Old Bridge competes at is Class 4, which sits in the mid-range of British racing — not the top tier, but not the bottom either. Seven races at that level without a win is a puzzle worth solving. It raises the question of whether dropping slightly in class might be the key that finally unlocks a first victory, or whether the horse simply needs one race where everything falls into place. Having raced just yesterday, Old Bridge is clearly fit and active. The first win could be one race away — it has been one race away for a while now, but in racing, that is precisely what keeps people watching.