Raqraaq

The overall numbers are modest, and there is no point pretending otherwise. Two wins and ten places from 38 races tells the story of a horse that competes gamely at the lower end of the sport — Class 6, the entry level of British racing — and finds the winner's enclosure only occasionally. That 11% win rate at that level (2 from 18 races) suggests even in the easiest races, victories are hard-fought. But Raqraaq has been around long enough and consistent enough to have earned a kind of respect. Ten placed finishes means this horse has been competitive far more often than the win tally suggests.

The best results tend to come on normal ground, where 2 wins from 12 races represents a win rate of roughly 1 in 6 — comfortably the best version of this horse. Jockey David Probert has been along for most of the journey, riding Raqraaq in 12 races and partnering both of those wins, a record of 2 from 12 that mirrors the Lingfield figures almost exactly. That consistency suggests a genuine partnership worth noting.

Patrick Chamings trains from Baughurst in Hampshire, a yard that has sent out 9 winners this season, and Raqraaq raced just one day ago — still very much an active campaigner. The last win came 16 months ago at Lingfield, and recent form reads 12-3-6-7-8-3, meaning the podium finishes are there but the winning feeling has proved elusive. The logical next question anyone around this horse will be asking is simple: when does Lingfield come around again?