Men Of Honour

That said, he was out racing just yesterday, which tells you the team still believe there is a win in him somewhere. Trainers do not keep running horses for the sake of it — every race entry costs time, money, and effort — so the fact that Ruth Carr's yard continues to throw him at the track suggests they see something worth persisting with.

Ruth Carr is worth knowing about. Based in Stillington, North Yorkshire, her yard has sent out 63 winners already this season, which is a genuinely productive operation. When a trainer of that volume and experience keeps faith with a horse that has not won in eight attempts, it carries some weight. She is not running out of options or ideas — she is making a deliberate choice to keep Men Of Honour active, and that is quietly interesting in itself.

Whether he can finally convert remains the big question. Eight races is a reasonable sample — enough to suggest that a straightforward, easy win has not been on offer — but not so many that hope has to be abandoned. For anyone following him, the appeal is simple: when the win does eventually come, it will have been a long time coming.