Twoplacesatonetime

The overall record of one win and three places from 14 races — that's winning roughly 1 in every 14 times out — is modest, but it's worth putting in context. Twoplacesatonetime typically competes at Class 5, which is the entry-level tier of British racing, and even there the horse has won just 1 of its 8 races at that level, or about 1 in 8. At this stage of its career, it looks more like a horse that fills out a field than one that wins it.

What keeps things interesting is who is doing the training. Rebecca Menzies, based near Durham, has sent out 36 winners already this season — a yard clearly in decent form. When a trainer is firing in winners at that kind of rate, it usually means horses are fit, well-prepared, and running at the right tracks. The fact that Twoplacesatonetime hasn't troubled the judge recently is unlikely to be down to anything going wrong at the yard. It simply may be that the horse has found its level, and winning at it again is proving difficult.

It raced just yesterday, which means it's currently in the thick of a campaign. Whether Menzies finds the right spot for another day like Hexham last November remains to be seen, but at eight years old, with form drifting further from that sole career win with each passing race, the odds aren't exactly stacking up in its favour.