Roccobear

His recent form makes for mixed reading. A second place in there shows he can get competitive, but results of fifth, sixth, and eighth tell a more honest story — this is a horse who finds himself outpaced more often than not. He raced just yesterday, so he is clearly being kept busy, which is often what a trainer does with a young horse they believe is still learning and developing.

J R Jenkins, based in Royston, Hertfordshire, has sent out seven winners this season, which shows the yard is capable of getting horses to perform. The fact that Roccobear has not been among them yet is not necessarily a crisis — some three-year-olds simply take time to find their feet, and a yard with winners on the board clearly knows how to prepare a horse. At Class 5, the lowest tier of British racing, Roccobear has run four times without winning. That is the level where horses are supposed to find things easiest, so going winless there does raise a genuine question about when, or whether, a first win is coming. Still, with eight races under his belt at three years old, he is young enough that the door is not closed. Plenty of horses take longer than expected to click — the second place at least proves he can mix it on his day.