Goodwin Face

The recent form is actually encouraging reading. In the last six races, Goodwin Face has finished second, second, third, seventh, and second again — four times in the first three home, with only one real blip in that run. That kind of consistency in the places suggests this is a horse that tries hard and races honestly. The frustrating truth, though, is that placing and winning are very different things, and prize money reflects that gap sharply.

Regular jockey Rex Dingle has been aboard for five of those eight races and is yet to ride the horse to a win, which raises the question of whether the pair are still finding their best combination or whether Goodwin Face simply needs something to click on the day. Trainer Chris Gordon has had a productive season — 45 winners from his yard at Morestead in Hampshire is a serious tally — so the support and quality of training clearly isn't the issue. Gordon knows how to get horses winning, which at least gives Goodwin Face every chance of eventually breaking through.

The horse has raced four times at Class 5 level, which is the entry level of British racing, and has drawn a blank in all four. That is worth noting — not because it suggests the horse is struggling, but because with a win rate of zero from eight attempts, finding the right race and the right day is clearly the puzzle the team needs to solve. When that day comes, the placed form suggests Goodwin Face won't be far away.