Penfolds Grange

The numbers are honest rather than flattering. A win rate of roughly 1 in every 13 races is modest by any measure, and the level at which Penfolds Grange typically competes — Class 5, which sits near the lower end of the racing ladder — has yielded zero wins from six attempts. The five placed finishes suggest the horse is competitive enough to get involved without quite seeing it out, which is a frustrating pattern for any yard to manage. Recent form reads 2-–-4-5-5-11, so there is a second place in there and a handful of midfield efforts, though the 11th on its most recent completed run is the kind of result that raises questions.

Trained by Mark Pattinson out of Epsom in Surrey, Penfolds Grange is part of a small but active operation that has sent out six winners this season — so the yard clearly knows how to get a horse winning. The task now is finding the right race to unlock another one from this particular animal.