Moostar

What makes the current situation particularly interesting is the recent form. Over the last six races, Moostar has finished second three times and third twice — five times in the top three, with only one poor run (a tenth place) interrupting an otherwise consistent streak of getting close. That is genuinely good enough to place bets around, even if the winner's enclosure has stayed out of reach for twenty months now. The frustrating thing, from the perspective of anyone following the horse, is that all seven of those Class 5 races — the most accessible level of competition in Britain — have ended without a win. Zero from seven at that level is a puzzle when the recent form says the horse belongs there.

Jockey Jason Watson is the regular partner, and together they have won 1 from 5 races — that is a 20% win rate between them, which is actually a decent return compared to the overall career record. Whether that combination can finally turn one of these near-misses into a winner is the obvious next question.

The yard behind Moostar is James Owen's operation in Newmarket, one of the heartlands of British racing. Owen's team has sent out 204 winners this season alone, so this is a professional, high-functioning set-up. Moostar raced just yesterday, which means this is very much a horse in active training, not one being wound down. Given how consistently it has placed in recent months, another run — and perhaps another second or third — feels likely in the near future. Whether it can finally convert one of those into a first win since Thirsk remains the question hanging over everything.