Daley T

The recent form makes for tough reading. In the last six races, the best Daley T has managed is a third place, surrounded by a string of fifth, sixth, and eighth-place finishes. That run includes yesterday — this is a horse that raced just one day ago, so the yard are clearly keeping busy. Whether that busy schedule is part of the plan or a sign of searching for the right opportunity is hard to say.

What is striking is where Daley T competes. Class 6 is the bottom rung of British racing — these are races designed to give horses like Daley T a realistic shot at winning. And yet across 15 races at that level, the win column still reads zero. That is not a horse finding its level; it is a horse that has yet to find its moment even in the most accessible company available.

William Carson has had six attempts to get Daley T over the line and has been unable to do it, which is not a criticism of either horse or jockey so much as an honest reflection of how the partnership has gone so far. Trainer Tony Carroll, based in Cropthorne in Worcestershire, is clearly no stranger to winners — his yard has sent out 134 of them this season alone, which is a genuinely impressive output. Carroll knows how to get horses winning. The fact that Daley T has not managed it yet, despite plenty of chances, is one of those puzzles that racing occasionally throws up without any easy answer.