Patontheback

Tutty's recent comments hint at a horse she believes is still competitive. She notes that he ran well to win an amateur race at Musselburgh last year and suggests he is "nicely handicapped" for this season if fortune breaks his way—trainer-speak for a horse that has dropped to a mark where winning races should be within reach. Yet the recent form tells a different story. Over his last six races, Patontheback has not finished higher than sixth place, and he has not won in a year. When Tutty spoke after a run at Catterick, she was candid: everything had gone his way that day, and she wondered whether better was still to come. The fact that it did not suggests the gap between hope and reality may be widening.

Where he has genuinely dominated is at Musselburgh—two wins from four races is a win rate most horses would be delighted with. When paired with jockey Rowan Scott, who has ridden him to three wins from 18 outings, the partnership shows some spark. But Patontheback struggles at the highest level: he has not won once from 26 attempts in top-class races. He remains active and clearly still racing, but at eight years old with a year now between wins, he feels like a horse living on reputation and the memories of better days.