A Tickatickatiming

The eight-year-old is trained by Sheena West, based just a few miles from Plumpton in Lewes, which probably explains a lot. West's yard has sent out 8 winners this season, and a horse that knows its local track inside out is a useful thing to have in your stable. Most of A Tickatickatiming's races are run in the lower tiers of British racing — Class 5, broadly speaking, which is where the sport's journeymen earn their keep — and it has won 1 of its 11 races at that level, so nothing spectacular, but honest and competitive enough to keep the yard interested.

The bigger picture is a career record of 2 wins and 11 places from 23 races — that's a win rate of roughly 1 in every 11 outings, with the horse finishing in the top three almost half the time overall. That place record suggests it is almost always trying, even when the win doesn't come. The downside is that the last victory was at Plumpton in November 2023, now 29 months ago, and the last six runs have produced nothing better than a second place. The most recent race was just yesterday, so this is a horse very much in the thick of its season.

Regular partner Marc Goldstein has been in the saddle for 12 of its 23 races, winning once together — a rate of roughly 1 in every 12 rides. That's modest, but the partnership is clearly established. When A Tickatickatiming does end its current winless run, the smart money would be on Plumpton being the place it happens. Both career wins have come there, the trainer is practically a local, and the horse clearly knows where it likes to run.