The recent run of form makes for equally grim reading: finishing ninth, fifth, fourth, seventh, eighth, and sixth in its last six races. That fourth place is the closest it has come to threatening the leading group, but even then it was outside the places. The horse raced just yesterday, so it is clearly being kept busy, and there may be some logic to that — some horses need a lot of racing before they find their feet. But ten races is already a fair amount of runway, and the wins simply have not materialised.
Shoptilyoudrop has spent almost all of its career — eight of its ten races — competing at Class 6, which is the lowest tier of racing in Britain. These are the races designed to give horses like this a winnable opportunity. The fact that it has not managed a single win or place at that level tells you something honest about where it currently sits in the pecking order. Philip Kirby's yard in North Yorkshire has been in decent form this season, sending out 36 winners, so it is not a question of the training operation struggling. Shoptilyoudrop simply has not clicked yet. Whether it ever does is the question its the yard will be asking themselves.
| Course | Races | Results | Last run | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwell Galloping |
3 | 3 other | 20 Jan | 0% |
| Wolverhampton Galloping |
3 | 3 other | 6 Feb | 0% |
| Newcastle Galloping |
2 | 2 other | 20 Dec | 0% |
| Hamilton Park Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 10 Jun | 0% |
| Carlisle Undulating |
1 | 1 other | 4 Jul | 0% |