Titus Thor

The recent form figures tell their own story. Reading from left to right — 12, 7, 11, 9, 5, 5 — there is at least a direction of travel. Those last two runs, finishing fifth on both occasions, represent the best results of the sequence, and coming just one day ago, the most recent effort suggests Titus Thor is at least competing rather than simply making up the numbers. Whether fifth place is a stepping stone or a ceiling is the question nobody can answer yet.

Malcolm Saunders trains the horse, operating from a yard that has produced two winners this season. That is a modest total, meaning the team is working with limited firepower — every runner matters, and Titus Thor has not yet been able to contribute to the tally. Class 5 is where most of Titus Thor's efforts have been focused, which is already the lower end of the competitive ladder in British racing. Failing to win or place in three races at that level is a concern, because Class 5 is precisely where horses like this are supposed to find their opportunities.

There is no disguising the fact that this is a difficult profile to spin positively. Zero from eight, no places, no prize money of note — and yet the horse raced just yesterday, which means the team clearly has not given up. Sometimes that persistence is rewarded. Sometimes a horse finds its moment out of nowhere. Titus Thor has not found it yet, but it is still looking.