Wath Court

What makes this particularly striking is that Wath Court is not being asked to do anything too ambitious. Class 6 is the lowest tier of British racing, the level where horses come to find races they can be competitive in. And yet across 18 races at that level, Wath Court has not managed a single win. To put it plainly: given every opportunity to succeed at the easiest available grade, it has not taken one of them.

Jockey Faye McManoman has been the most regular partner, riding Wath Court in 9 of those 32 races without a win to show for it. That is not a criticism of McManoman — the results across the board suggest the issue lies with the horse rather than the rider. Trainer Philip Kirby, based at East Appleton in North Yorkshire, is clearly no stranger to winners — his yard has sent out 36 of them this season alone — so the know-how is there. Wath Court just has not responded.

The horse raced as recently as yesterday, which at least shows it is sound and still being given chances. But at six years old, with 32 races on the clock and a record that reads zero wins, the window for a first victory is not getting any wider. Some horses take time to find their feet; others simply never find them. Whether Wath Court falls into one category or the other is the only remaining question worth asking.