Ilitch

At eight years old, Ilitch is an experienced animal, and the recent form figures — two second-place finishes mixed in with a handful of mid-pack efforts — suggest there is still a horse in there capable of running well on a good day. The two places in the last six races are worth noting: second place is not a win, but it does mean Ilitch has been close enough to smell it. The frustrating part, for anyone following this horse, is that the gap between those near-misses and an actual victory has proven stubbornly difficult to close.

The most telling detail, perhaps, is the class level. Ilitch has run seven times in Class 4 races — a mid-tier level of competition in British racing — and has not won once. That 0 from 7 record at that level is a quiet but clear message about where this horse sits in the pecking order. Fontwell, then, stands as the exception: a track where everything clicked, just once, on a March afternoon that remains thirteen months in the rearview mirror.

Trained by Stuart Edmunds out of Stewkley in Buckinghamshire, Ilitch is part of a yard that has been in decent form this season — 24 winners sent out is a solid return and shows the operation knows how to get horses winning. The fact that Ilitch hasn't been among those winners is not a reflection on the team; some horses simply find their level and settle there. Ilitch raced just yesterday, so this is a horse still very much in training and in action, which counts for something at eight. Whether another Fontwell moment is coming is the question — and based on the evidence so far, the honest answer is that it would be a welcome surprise.