Keep It Cool

The recent form is actually encouraging, in a bittersweet kind of way. Three of the last six runs have produced a second or third place, including back-to-back placed efforts at the sharp end of the field. That suggests Keep It Cool is in decent shape right now — the question is whether a win will ever come to match the consistency.

Jockey Paddy Hanlon has had six chances aboard and is yet to get the job done, though it would be unfair to lay that at his door alone. The horse simply has not won with anyone. Based at Newmarket with trainer James Owen — a yard that has sent out an impressive 201 winners this season, so it is not for lack of professional support — Keep It Cool typically lines up in Class 5, the entry-level tier of British racing. At that level, winning should theoretically be within reach. Five attempts at that grade, however, have produced nothing. That is a difficult number to look past.

What makes this profile unusual is that Keep It Cool raced just one day ago, meaning this is a snapshot of a horse in active campaign. The team clearly believes there is a win in there somewhere, and given the placed form, they are not entirely wrong to keep trying. But at six years old, time is not unlimited. For now, Keep It Cool remains one of racing's more stubborn bridesmaid stories — always competitive, never quite over the line.