Triggerman

The real puzzle is that Triggerman shows genuine aptitude at specific distances. Over 1m1f to 1m2f, he has won 1 of 7 races, a win rate of 14 per cent that suggests he has at least one distance where he belongs. Everywhere else, the track record reads like a long exercise in near-misses: nine places from the remaining 17 races demonstrate he regularly finishes close enough to be mentioned, but almost never close enough to win. His recent form bears this out — he has posted finishes of 10-8-13-8-6-9 in his last six outings, all of which suggest he is a horse plugging away without threat. He was back in action just a day ago.

Patrick Morris, his trainer at Prescott in Merseyside, has managed 18 winners from the yard this season, but Triggerman is not one of them this year. The horse's most frequent partner is jockey Ryan Sexton, and they have won 1 of 11 races together — a respectable 9 per cent — which at least suggests there is some chemistry between them. The real frustration is Triggerman's complete inability in top-class races. He has run 17 times at Class 5 level without a single win. For a horse whose only career victory came at a lower level, climbing the ladder has simply not worked. He is, in short, a horse still chasing vindication for a single day in September 2024.