Rockvale

The recent form makes for sobering reading. Going back through the last six races, Rockvale has finished off the pace in most of them, with that second place the one bright spot in an otherwise quiet sequence. Racing just yesterday, the horse is clearly an active campaigner, and Sam Allwood's yard at Whitchurch in Shropshire is not giving up on finding the right opportunity. Allwood has sent out five winners this season, so there is clearly ability in the stable — Rockvale just hasn't found its moment yet.

At Class 4 level, which sits in the middle of the racing ladder, the horse has run three times without success. That's the level where the competition is competitive enough to be a real test, but not so fierce that a horse with genuine ability cannot win. The fact that Rockvale hasn't managed it yet simply means the right race, or the right day, hasn't arrived. Whether it ever does, at seven years old, is the honest question hanging over this profile.