Frankie Faulkner

That win came at Newton Abbot in July 2023 — and it hasn't been repeated since. Nearly three years have passed, 34 months to be exact, and Frankie Faulkner has gone out and raced again and again in that time without adding to the tally. Recent form shows a couple of decent placed efforts in there — two seconds and a third — so the horse is clearly still trying, but the breakthrough that trainer Mrs C Williams will be hoping for hasn't come. Notably, in 11 races at Class 5 level, the lowest tier of British racing, Frankie Faulkner has yet to win a single one. That's a statistic that will frustrate the yard, because these are precisely the races a horse like this is expected to be competitive in.

Mrs Williams, based at Llancarfan in the Vale of Glamorgan, suggested after a below-par run at Hereford in late 2023 that fast, dry ground had caught the horse out a bit — things moved too quickly. On normal or softer conditions, she felt a win was there to be had. The yard has sent out three winners this season, so the operation is capable of getting horses ready to win. Jockey Isabel Williams has been the regular partner, riding 15 of those 17 career races together — winning just the once between them. It's a tight-knit combination, but so far the results haven't reflected the loyalty.

Frankie Faulkner raced just yesterday, which tells you this is a horse still very much in active training. At nine, the clock is ticking, but horses can and do win at this age. The question is whether the combination of the right ground, the right track, and a bit of fortune can finally deliver what those 10 placed finishes suggest has always been possible.