Raincloud

The partnership with jockey Kieran O'Neill tells much the same story. Seven races together, zero wins. That is a long run of near-misses and worse for a combination that keeps getting put back together, which perhaps says something about hope triumphing over experience. The most recent form figures — 8th, 8th, two non-completions, 11th, 9th — paint a picture of a horse that is competing without threatening, finishing mid-pack or worse more often than not.

The bulk of Raincloud's career has come at Class 4 level, which sits in the middle of the racing ladder — not the very bottom, but nowhere near the top. Fifteen races at that level without a win suggests the horse is either at or slightly above its ceiling in terms of class, finding things consistently tough against rivals of that standard. With zero wins from 38 races overall, the career earnings and achievements are modest by any measure.

What makes Raincloud's story quietly compelling, in a bittersweet sort of way, is the sheer persistence of it all. The horse raced just yesterday and keeps turning up, keeps competing, keeps leaving without the winner's prize. Some horses find their moment late; others never quite do. At six years old and with that record, the window is not getting wider — but then again, Raincloud has surprised nobody by winning yet, which means the first one, if it ever comes, would be genuinely worth celebrating.