Path Of Stars

The recent form offers a sliver of encouragement, at least in terms of consistency. Six of the last six runs have produced a placing or a near-miss — a string of third and fourth-place finishes that suggests Path Of Stars is showing up and competing, just not quite getting there. That kind of pattern can mean a horse is in decent shape and running honestly, but it can also mean the gap between this horse and a winner is frustratingly stubborn. After a short break of 44 days, the team will be hoping a little freshness makes the difference.

What does give some pause is the level at which Path Of Stars is operating. Class 5 is the bread-and-butter end of British racing — these are not the glamour events, and the fields are not full of future stars. Yet across eight races at this level, the win column still reads zero. That record, 0 from 8 in races specifically designed to give horses like this a fighting chance, is the detail that trainer Seamus Mullins will be most focused on solving. His yard at Wilsford-Cum-Lake has sent out 10 winners this season, so the operation clearly knows how to win races — Path Of Stars just hasn't been one of them yet.

There is nothing here to suggest this horse is out of its depth or in poor form. It keeps running into the money and it keeps turning up. But until that first win arrives, Path Of Stars remains one of racing's most familiar characters: the nearly horse, honest and consistent, perpetually a nose or a length away from the moment that would change how its story reads.