Churchman

The recent form tells a familiar tale. In his last six races he has finished sixth, second, second, fifth, third, and sixth — two near-misses bookending a couple of disappointing efforts. He raced just yesterday, so he's clearly fit and active, and Alastair Ralph's yard in Bridgnorth, Shropshire has been in good nick this season, sending out 25 winners. The talent is clearly there in that stable. It just hasn't quite translated for this horse yet.

Ralph has a theory about why. He says Churchman travels beautifully through his races — meaning he moves easily and looks like a winner in the making — but when it matters most, in the final stretch, he doesn't quite find what's needed. The horse has the engine, but something is stopping him from flooring the accelerator. To try and fix that, the team are putting cheekpieces on him — a piece of equipment that sits around a horse's eyes and narrows its field of vision, helping it focus on what's ahead rather than drifting or switching off. It's a small change, but in racing, small changes can matter.

Jockey Jay Tidball has partnered Churchman in 11 of his 21 races — more than half his career — without a win to show for it. That's not necessarily a reflection on Tidball; plenty of good jockeys have spent years waiting for the right horse to come good. And Ralph is clearly still optimistic, describing Churchman as "not far away from winning." At Class 5 level — the entry level of British racing — he really shouldn't be finding it this hard. But with fresh headgear on and a trainer who believes in him, the next few weeks could be interesting. Churchman's supporters have been waiting a long time for that first winner's photo.