Ridgemaster

What makes the current picture harder to read is the recent form. Looking at the last six races in order from most recent, the finishing positions read 7, 11, 8, 1, 13, 9. That solitary 1 — the Newcastle win — sits like a diamond in some fairly rough company. Either side of it, Ridgemaster has struggled to land a blow, and the 11th-place finish two runs back is the kind of result that raises questions about whether that winning day was a genuine breakthrough or simply the right race at the right time.

The level Ridgemaster typically competes at is Class 5, which sits near the bottom of the British racing ladder — these are races designed to give horses a genuine chance of winning rather than asking them to compete against the elite. And yet, across four races at that level, there have been no wins at all. Zero from four. Winning at the right level is supposed to be the easier part, which makes that blank return all the more puzzling, given the one win came under different circumstances at Newcastle.

Trainer Simon Waugh has sent out just one winner this season, which reflects a small or quietly operating yard rather than a powerhouse operation. That single winner is, of course, Ridgemaster's Newcastle success — meaning the horse accounts for the yard's entire tally on its own. There is something quietly notable about that: in a season where things have been tough for the team, this horse provided the only reason to celebrate.

Ridgemaster raced just yesterday, so whatever happened in that latest outing is fresh. The form figures suggest a horse still searching for a second act, but Newcastle at Christmas proved it can find a way to the front when the stars align. The question now is whether those stars can be coaxed into position again.