Paragon

The recent form figures of 4-4-6-4-7-4 paint a consistent picture, and not entirely a flattering one. He's been finishing fourth more often than not, which in racing is the cruelest spot — just outside the places that pay out, repeatedly knocking on the door without ever getting through it. He ran as recently as yesterday, so the yard are clearly keeping him busy and believing there's a race to be won somewhere.

Most of Paragon's racing has come at Class 6, which is the entry-level tier of British racing — the races designed for horses who haven't set the world alight. He's had eight attempts at that level without winning a single one, which is a tough record to look past. At some point the question has to be asked: is there a race out there that suits him well enough to finally get off the mark?

He's trained by Pam Sly, based in Thorney, Cambridgeshire. It's a smaller yard, but one that has sent out seven winners already this season, which shows Sly knows how to place a horse to win. The fact that Paragon hasn't yet been one of them isn't for lack of trying — the horse has had 17 attempts, after all. Perhaps the right race, on the right day, is still to come. For now, he remains one of racing's great nearly-men: consistently present, occasionally promising, and still waiting for that first moment of glory.