Path Of Stars

The recent form makes for interesting reading, even if the result column stays stubbornly blank. In its last six runs, Path Of Stars has finished third, third, third, fourth, third, and fifth — a sequence of near-misses so consistent it almost looks deliberate. There is clearly ability here, enough to keep placing at its level, but something — a rival just a touch faster, a moment where more is needed — keeps the winning moment from arriving. Still, the horse raced just one day ago, which means it is fit, active, and very much in the mix.

The bulk of its career has been spent in Class 5 races, which is the entry level of British horse racing — the point where horses either prove themselves or settle into a comfortable routine of placed finishes. Path Of Stars has run eight times at that level without winning, which is a notable statistic in its own right. At Class 5, you are expected to be competitive enough to eventually break through. Seven placings from fifteen races overall — roughly one placing in every two outings — shows the horse is always thereabouts, but always just short.

Trainer Seamus Mullins operates out of Wilsford-Cum-Lake in Wiltshire, and the yard has sent out ten winners already this season, which shows it knows how to get a horse to the line first. The fact that Path Of Stars has not yet managed that breakthrough is unlikely to be for want of trying. Mullins is a patient, experienced handler, and a horse collecting this many places tends to keep getting chances — because nobody has quite given up on it yet.

Whether Path Of Stars eventually finds a race it can win — perhaps on a day the ground suits, or against a slightly easier field — remains the open question. For now, it is a horse that earns its keep by being reliable without being remarkable, and that is a story playing out on racecourses across the country every single week.