Not So Sobers

The recent form makes for tough reading: in the last six races, the best result has been a sixth-place finish, with a tenth thrown in for good measure. That kind of running suggests a horse that is competitive enough to enter but hasn't found the combination of circumstances needed to trouble the winner's enclosure again. Out of 15 career races, three places alongside that single win means Not So Sobers has given its supporters something to cheer on roughly 4 occasions in 15 — which is something, but rarely the main event.

Where things get slightly more encouraging is over longer distances, two miles and beyond. At that trip, the horse has won 1 from 6 races, a win rate of around 1 in 6 — which is actually its strongest suit. Stamina appears to be the horse's friend, and it's at those distances where any future optimism probably lives. The same can be said for the class level it tends to operate at — Class 5, the lower end of the competitive ladder in British racing — where again it has managed 1 win from 6 attempts.

Jockey Kielan Woods has been the regular partner, riding Not So Sobers in 5 of its races and being aboard for that Market Rasen success. Together they win roughly 1 in every 5 races, which is actually a solid record for the partnership even if the horse itself rarely obliges. The yard of David Killahena and Graeme McPherson, based in Stow-on-the-Wold in Gloucestershire, has sent out 18 winners this season — so there is form in the stable — but Not So Sobers hasn't been the one carrying the flag lately. The horse raced just yesterday, so it remains firmly in training and active. Whether another day like Market Rasen is still in the locker is the question worth watching.