Rosco Rogers

The recent form does little to suggest a change is imminent. Looking at the last six races — finishing 5th, 4th, 4th, 7th, 11th, and 7th in order from most recent back — there is no clear upward curve. The 4th-place finishes offer a faint glimmer, but the 11th and the pair of 7ths suggest a horse that is more likely to fill out the middle of a field than challenge at the sharp end. Jockey Sean Kirrane has ridden Rosco Rogers six times without a win, so that partnership has yet to find the key either.

Class 6 is the lowest tier of British racing — essentially the entry-level grade where horses with modest ability or limited form are placed to give them the best chance of winning. Rosco Rogers has run seven times at this level and still has not managed a victory, which tells you that even in the most accessible company available, something is not quite clicking. Trainer Tim Vaughan, based in Aberthin in the Vale of Glamorgan, has sent out nine winners this season, so the yard clearly knows how to get horses to the winner's enclosure — it just has not happened yet with this one. With a race just yesterday, Rosco Rogers is very much still active and in the mix, and sometimes horses do suddenly find their stride. But on the evidence so far, patience is the one thing required in abundance around this particular horse.