Best Mate Dave

At nine years old, Best Mate Dave is a veteran of the lower levels, typically competing in Class 5 races — the kind of everyday contests that make up the backbone of British racing, well away from the big occasions. Even there, the record reads 1 win from 10 races at that level, or about 1 in every 10, which is modest enough to suggest this is a horse that makes up the numbers more often than it threatens to take them. The partnership with jockey Kielan Woods has produced nothing at all — zero wins from seven races together — which at least has the virtue of consistency, even if it is the wrong kind.

What keeps things interesting is the recent form. The last six runs read 4-3-blank-5-6-3, which means Best Mate Dave has been placing regularly without ever quite getting its nose in front. It raced just yesterday, so the yard are clearly not giving up on finding another moment like Worcester. Whether that day comes again at nine years old, with a winning drought stretching nearly three years, is the question. For now, this is a horse that shows up, tries hard, and finishes just where the prize money runs out.