Scriabin

Since that breakthrough two months ago, Scriabin has been knocking on the door without quite getting over the line again. His last six races show a third place, a fourth, two seconds, an eighth, and a fifth, suggesting a horse who remains competitive but hasn't yet managed to string together the consistency needed for regular wins. He wins roughly one in every thirteen races, a modest return that places him among the honest, grinding campaigners rather than the stars of the sport. Yet he is still racing regularly — his last outing was just a day ago — which says something about his soundness and the team's faith in him to keep improving.

Scriabin is trained by Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore at their yard in Milnathort, near Perth. Their operation has been in fine form this season, sending out forty-nine winners, which means they know how to get horses ready for the winner's circle. For Scriabin, finding Perth again might be the key to another day in the sun — horses often settle to a particular course, and his victory there suggests the track suits him. At six, he is entering the years where experience counts, and if the team can find the right race and the right conditions again, another win is well within reach.