Peregrine Falcon

The recent form makes for interesting reading. In its last six races, Peregrine Falcon has posted a sequence of 3-2-6-3-3-3 — four third-place finishes, a runner-up spot, and one below-par effort in the middle. Strip out that sixth-place blip and the picture is of a horse that keeps turning up to compete. The second place in particular will have caught the eye of trainer Patrick Morris, whose yard in Prescott, Merseyside has sent out 21 winners this season — so they clearly know how to get a horse across the line when conditions are right.

The regular partnership with jockey Billy Loughnane hasn't yet produced the breakthrough, with the pair winless in five attempts together. That's not necessarily cause for alarm — sometimes a horse just needs everything to fall perfectly — but it is a combination that has yet to find its best. Peregrine Falcon has had a short break of 43 days since its last race, which could be exactly the reset needed to come back sharper.

The challenge now is turning consistent placing into winning. At Class 5, the level where it does most of its racing, Peregrine Falcon has run eight times without winning — 0 from 8. Class 5 is the bread-and-butter tier of British racing, and horses at this level are closely matched, so places are respectable. But at four years old, time is not unlimited. The talent is evidently there. The question is whether the team at Prescott can find the right race, the right conditions, and the right moment to finally get that nose in front.