Struth

The yard doing the work is Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore's operation at Milnathort in Perth and Kinross, a properly functioning outfit that has sent out 49 winners this season. Joe Fanning, who rides Struth regularly, has won just once aboard in five attempts together — a 20% return that slightly outperforms the horse's overall record but hardly suggests a perfect partnership. Where Struth really struggles is at the top level: it has raced 18 times in Class 2 competitions, the highest grade it has attempted, and has not won once across those 18 attempts.

At this stage, Struth represents what racing tracks encounter every day — a horse that loves to race, gets regular opportunities from a good yard, and occasionally places money in the pot for its the yard. But the brutal arithmetic is hard to ignore: four decades of races and just two trips to the winner's circle, with the winning habit having completely evaporated 41 months ago. For a six-year-old still active and turning up yesterday, that is either the mark of genuine staying power or a horse simply going through the motions.