Valsharah

What makes the recent form mildly encouraging, at least, is that Valsharah has started to find its way back into contention. The last six runs read 4-2-6-11-8-6 — with the most recent race first — and that second-place finish stands out as a sign the horse can get close when things fall right. Before that, there were some ugly efforts in the middle of the sequence, but the last run, a fourth just yesterday, suggests the horse is at least showing up and competing rather than trailing in at the back.

Jockey Jason Watson has partnered Valsharah nine times without a win, which is a long run of near-misses for any partnership to sustain. The fact that Watson keeps coming back suggests the team at Michael Appleby's yard in Oakham, Rutland, still believes there is a win in this horse somewhere. Appleby himself has had a productive season — 73 winners sent out is a serious total, showing this is a busy, capable yard. Valsharah, competing almost exclusively at Class 5 level (the lower end of the racing ladder, where the competition is more accessible), has gone nine races at that level without winning, which does raise the question of whether a different approach is needed.

Still only four years old and raced just yesterday, Valsharah is clearly being kept active in the hope that everything clicks. Some horses take time to find their confidence, and the yard's overall form this season shows they know how to get horses winning. Whether Valsharah can finally join that list is the question its team will be hoping to answer soon.