Times A Wastin

The recent form offers little encouragement either. In its last six races the horse has finished fifth, fifth, seventh, seventh, and fifth — with one run ungraded in between. There is a consistency to that, just not the kind anyone wants. It tends to show up, run its race, and finish in the middle of the pack without ever threatening to win. After its most recent effort 37 days ago, the team has given it a short break, which may suggest they are looking to freshen it up and try something a little different.

Tony Carroll is a trainer worth knowing about. Based in Cropthorne in Worcestershire, his yard has sent out 134 winners this season — that is a genuinely productive operation, and Carroll clearly knows how to get horses winning. The puzzle, then, is why this particular horse has not clicked. Regular jockey Mr J M Halford has ridden Times A Wastin six times without a win, and the horse's best level of racing — Class 5, which is the entry level of British racing — has produced four races and zero victories. When a horse cannot win at the lowest rung of the ladder, it raises real questions about whether the right opportunity has simply not come along, or whether a win may never come.

At seven years old, time is not exactly on its side. There is still a chance the team finds the right conditions on the right day, and Carroll's record shows he is more than capable of producing winners. But right now, Times A Wastin is one of those horses that turns up, tries hard, and goes home without the prize — a familiar story at racetracks the length and breadth of the country.