Rajawail

What makes Rajawail's record particularly striking is just how consistent the blank sheet has been across different circumstances. The horse has raced 16 times at the lowest level of British racing — Class 6, where fields are made up of the most modest horses in training — and has still not managed to get its nose in front. Jockey Faye McManoman knows this horse better than anyone, having ridden it in 16 of those 26 races together without a single win to show for it. That is a long partnership to maintain without reward, and it says something about the commitment of both rider and yard that they keep turning up.

Rothwell's stable has sent out just one winner so far this season, so this is not a yard firing on all cylinders right now. Rajawail raced as recently as yesterday, which at least confirms the horse is fit and active. The question of whether a first win is genuinely within reach is a harder one to answer — at six, horses are usually well past the stage of dramatic improvement, and nothing in the recent form suggests a breakthrough is imminent. Still, every horse wins eventually, and Rajawail has clearly been placed twice in 26 attempts, which means the talent to finish close does exist somewhere. Whether it ever translates into a victory is the puzzle that the yard — the trainer, the yard — are still trying to solve.