Muhib

His recent form tells a familiar story. In his last six races — and he raced just yesterday, so this is as current as it gets — he has posted 3-3-5-5-3-3. Four thirds and two fifths. He is hovering around the podium without ever stepping onto it. At the level he typically competes at, Class 6, the lowest rung of British racing, he has gone 0 from 12 attempts. These are races designed to give horses every chance of winning, and Muhib has not taken one yet.

The jockey who knows him best is Cian Horgan, who has ridden him five times without a win to show for it. His trainer, Olly Williams, operates out of Market Rasen in Lincolnshire, and it has been a quiet season for the yard — just one winner sent out so far. That context matters: this is not a powerful operation throwing resources at a well-fancied horse. It is a small team working with what they have, and Muhib is very much a reflection of that reality.

What keeps things interesting is that Muhib clearly is not disgracing himself. Those five placed finishes across 23 races suggest a horse that competes honestly and finds a level where he can be involved. The question is whether there is a race out there where the stars align — a smaller field, a favourable draw, a day where the horses ahead of him simply do not show up. It has not happened yet across nearly two dozen attempts, which makes you wonder whether it ever will. But then again, he raced yesterday and finished in the frame again, so clearly nobody has given up on him just yet.