No Rematch

What is striking about No Rematch is that the trainer Samuel Drinkwater, based at Strensham in Worcestershire, clearly believes this horse has been competing in entirely the wrong conditions. Drinkwater is direct about it: this is a horse built for wet, heavy ground — the sort of deep, muddy going that turns most horses' legs to lead — and ideally over fences rather than on the flat. The trainer has described him as an old-fashioned, heavy-set type, not big but compact, and crucially, a horse who needed time. That is a generous thing to say about an older horse who has given back so little in wins, but Drinkwater's yard has sent out 9 winners this season, so there is clearly a functioning operation behind this horse.

The recent form makes for mixed reading. Over the last six races, No Rematch has finished 2nd, pulled up, 8th, 4th, 7th, and 3rd — working backwards from the most recent. The second place is encouraging, and the third before that suggests he is competitive enough at this level without quite being able to get his head in front. He has been ridden 16 times by Miss Imogen Mathias without a win together, though that may say more about the conditions and class of race than either of them individually. His 12 races at Class 5 — the lower end of the racing ladder — have produced zero wins, which is puzzling for a horse supposedly capable of better.

The real intrigue here is what happens if Drinkwater can get No Rematch into the right race on the right day: proper deep, heavy ground, a track with stiff fences, and the mud flying. He raced just yesterday, so he is active and fit. Whether that perfect scenario arrives before time runs out on a 12-year-old career is the question. Some horses wait a long time for their moment. No Rematch has already waited 39 months.