Military Cross

The recent form makes for especially interesting reading. Four consecutive runner-up finishes — 2-2-2-2 — suggest a horse that was finding its level and threatening to break through, but that breakthrough never came. The last two runs have been a third and then a 14th, which points to something slightly less settled, though racing just one day ago means the story is very much still being written.

At Class 5, the level where most of Military Cross's career has played out, the record is zero wins from four attempts. Class 5 is the entry level of British racing, which makes that a difficult number to overlook. A horse that cannot convert at that level needs either a change of approach, a different type of race, or simply a day when everything clicks into place — and plenty of horses have had exactly that day after a similarly frustrating sequence.

The yard behind Military Cross is Sam England's operation based in Guiseley, West Yorkshire, and it is a yard in decent form — 49 winners sent out this season is a healthy tally that shows England knows how to get a horse ready to win. That makes Military Cross something of a puzzle. The talent to place is clearly there. The win has simply, stubbornly, not arrived yet.