Devilsrollthedice

The recent form makes for tough reading. A fourth-place finish is actually the best result on the board, but that came earlier in the sequence, and since then the numbers have crept higher — seventh, sixth, eighth — which in racing terms means further back in the field, not closer to the front. The two dashes in the middle of that run suggest races where the horse either didn't finish or the result wasn't recorded, which adds another layer of uncertainty to an already patchy picture. At six years old, a horse is no youngster still finding its feet — this is a fully mature animal, and the hope from the team at Higher Lowton Stables will be that a change of luck, or conditions, or race, unlocks something that has not yet shown itself.

Gordon Treacy's Devon yard has sent out two winners this season, so there is form in the stable — just none of it has come from this horse. At Class 4, which sits in the lower-mid range of the racing ladder, Devilsrollthedice has had three attempts and drawn a blank every time. That level was presumably chosen as the right fit, races competitive enough to be meaningful but not so tough that the horse is outclassed from the start. And yet the results have not followed. Racing without a win or even a place from six starts means the horse has finished outside the top three every single time it has run.

It raced just yesterday, so the yard — the team — clearly still believe there is something worth running for. That persistence is worth noting. Horses that show nothing are often quietly retired or moved on; the fact that Devilsrollthedice keeps being entered suggests Treacy sees potential that the racecards haven't yet reflected. Whether the dice finally land the right way is the question. For now, the name remains more aspiration than achievement.