Secret Testimony

The recent form tells a story of inconsistency. His last six runs have brought finishes of 15th, 6th, 4th, 7th, 9th, and 8th, which shows a horse that occasionally shows up — that 4th place was solid — but mostly struggles to get into contention. His regular partner Zak Wheatley has ridden him seven times and managed to steer him to victory once, a win rate of roughly one in seven, which is fractionally better than his overall record but suggests there is not much magic between horse and jockey.

Trainer Declan Carroll's Malton yard has been having a good season with 24 winners to its name, so there is clearly horsepower and know-how in the stable. But Secret Testimony has not been the beneficiary. The fact that he raced just a day ago suggests the team is still looking for that spark, still running him in hopes of finding another winning performance. For now, though, he remains a horse still searching for consistency at a level where he can win races with any regularity.