Snow Boots

The recent form makes for tough reading. In the last six races, Snow Boots has finished 10th, 8th, 5th, 6th, 6th, and 11th — consistently mid-pack at best, well beaten at worst. There's no obvious upward curve there, no sign of a horse finding its feet and beginning to figure things out. Class 6 is the lowest tier of British racing, the entry-level category where horses come to win races rather than build reputations, and Snow Boots has managed zero wins from nine attempts at that level. That's not a horse being asked too many questions — that's a horse yet to find any answers.

What makes this slightly puzzling is the yard behind it. Tony Carroll, based in Cropthorne in Worcestershire, has sent out 136 winners this season alone — a serious training operation with a clear ability to get horses in front. When a trainer of that output has a horse that hasn't troubled the judge once in 13 outings, you do wonder what the plan is. Carroll clearly knows how to place horses and get results; Snow Boots just hasn't been one of them yet.

The horse raced just one day ago, so it's actively campaigning rather than being put away for the season. Whether that reflects optimism, patience, or simply a determination to find the right opportunity is hard to say. What is certain is that Snow Boots needs something to change — a drop in the quality of the field, a surface that suits, a race where the pieces finally fall into place. Thirteen races is a reasonable sample. It's not yet a verdict, but it's getting closer to one.