St Lukes Chelsea

The recent form tells a similar story. Looking at the last six runs, the best finish is a third, and the most recent outing — just yesterday — produced a ninth. That's not a horse in career-best form right now. The dash in the sequence, which indicates a non-finish at some point, adds another wrinkle to a record that reads more as nearly-there than genuinely threatening.

Jockey Rossa Ryan has had six rides on St Lukes Chelsea and is yet to win on the horse, which at least means the two of them are consistent — consistently close, but not close enough. Ryan is a capable jockey, so this isn't a case of a horse being let down in the saddle. It simply hasn't found a way to win yet.

Trainer Robert Walford operates out of Okeford Fitzpaine in Dorset, and his yard has sent out 10 winners already this season, so there's clearly ability in the stable. St Lukes Chelsea hasn't been one of those winners, but the fact it keeps getting entered and keeps racing suggests Walford sees something worth persisting with. Most of the horse's races have come at Class 4 level — the middle tier of everyday racing in Britain — where it has run seven times without a win. That's not a horse being thrown in at the deep end; it's competing at a reasonable level and still coming up short.

At five years old, there's still time. But 20 races is a long audition, and patience from everyone involved is clearly being tested. The places are nice, but in racing, they don't count for much unless they're eventually followed by a win. St Lukes Chelsea has the profile of a horse that will be a popular winner whenever that day finally arrives — the kind that gets a little cheer precisely because it's been so long coming.