Ziva's Star

Trained by Simon Whitaker at Scarcroft in West Yorkshire, Ziva's Star typically races in the lower reaches of the sport's classification system and has found those races particularly tough, with no wins in 13 attempts at that level. The horse was out as recently as yesterday, finishing fourth, and the last six races tell a familiar story: a mix of mid-field finishes and one second place, but nothing better. That second-place finish is probably the closest Ziva's Star has come to a breakthrough, though it has not managed to convert that near-miss into a victory yet. For a horse now four years old and with 28 races under its belt, the odds of a maiden win are lengthening, but the consistency of the form — always in the race, never disgraced — keeps the stable sending it back out. Sometimes a horse's value lies not in its record, but in what it shows up to do.