Rajapour

What makes the numbers particularly striking is the level at which Rajapour typically competes. Class 4 is the middle tier of British racing — not the glamour end, not the bottom rung — and at that level, Rajapour has run 12 times without winning once. Placing four times in 21 races suggests the horse is competitive enough to feature, but not quite sharp enough to get to the front when it matters.

Recent form tells a similar story. In the last six races, the best results have been a second and two thirds — close, but not close enough. There have also been some flat efforts, finishing seventh and eighth, which suggests the horse is inconsistent as much as anything else. Jockey Mark Winn has ridden Rajapour five times without a win between them, and with the horse having last won five months ago, that partnership has yet to find a way to recreate the Wolverhampton magic.

The trainer is David O'Meara, one of the more productive yards in the north of England, based at Upper Helmsley in North Yorkshire. With 107 winners on the board this season, O'Meara is clearly no stranger to success — which makes Rajapour something of an outlier in the string. A yard firing at that rate will have horses running with confidence and purpose; Rajapour, racing as recently as yesterday, is still searching for a way to add to its tally. Whether another opportunity at Wolverhampton might be the key is a question worth watching.