No Mean Feat

The recent run of form tells a story of consistency without reward. In its last six races, No Mean Feat has finished fourth on three occasions, third once, and sixth once, with one run omitted from the figures. That is a horse that keeps showing up and keeps falling just short — which, depending on your temperament, is either quietly admirable or quietly maddening. It raced just yesterday, so the yard are clearly keeping it busy.

Most of its racing has come at Class 5 level, which is the entry-level tier of British racing — the sort of races designed to give horses exactly like this one a chance to win. And yet, nine races at that level have yielded nothing. That is a striking statistic, because Class 5 is genuinely where opportunities are most available. The fact that it has not taken one suggests the win, if it ever comes, will require everything to go right on the day.

Aaron Anderson has partnered the horse five times without a win between them, while trainer Simon Hodgson — based down in Dogmersfield in Hampshire — has sent out eight winners this season, so the yard clearly knows how to get horses to the front. No Mean Feat simply has not been one of them yet. Still, it keeps running, keeps placing, and keeps giving its team reasons not to give up entirely. Whether that first win is around the corner or permanently out of reach is the question only the next race can answer.