Roland Garros

The horse runs best at distances between a mile and six furlongs and two miles, the longer end of the middle ground, where he's won once from 12 attempts. That 8% win rate over his preferred trip is marginally better than his overall record of 1 from 22 (5%), which tells you he needs every advantage the track can offer. When stepped up to Class 5 company—a level most trainers would consider a proving ground—he's managed nothing from seven attempts, which explains why Hayley Burton's Newmarket yard has kept him mostly in lower competition. His last six races tell the familiar story of a battler without a breakthrough: a seventh at his most recent outing just a day ago, followed by a tenth, a fifth, a fourth, and two more sevenths. No wins, no places, and that April victory now four months distant.

For a horse that has earned just enough to stay in work, Roland Garros remains active and in the mix. There is something to admire in the consistency of trying, even if the scoreboard rarely rewards it.