Woodythewoodpecker

Trained by Evan Williams at his yard in Llancarfan in the Vale of Glamorgan, Woodythewoodpecker is at least in capable hands. Williams has sent out 48 winners this season, which marks his operation as one that knows how to get horses to perform. The question is whether he can find the right race to unlock this one. Recent form shows a run of 2-2-7-5-3-4 in the last six outings — two solid placed efforts at the start of that sequence, then a drop-off through the middle, before a seventh-place finish that raised concerns, and then a steadier fourth last time out. The pattern is uneven, which is not ideal for a horse that is already six years old and needs to start converting.

Woodythewoodpecker has raced six times at Class 4 level — which sits in the middle tier of the race quality ladder — and has not won any of them. That is a record of zero wins from six attempts at a grade where, frankly, winning ought to be achievable. The horse has had a break of 77 days since its last race, which is long enough to suggest the yard wanted to give it time to reset rather than just rolling it out again. Whether that freshness translates into something more decisive remains to be seen. For a horse still chasing its first win at six, the clock is not exactly on its side.