Running Cool

The recent form makes for uncomfortable reading. Finishing seventh and eighth in its last two completed races, with three earlier runs not producing a recorded finishing position, this is a horse that has spent most of its recent life in the back half of the field. At the class of race Running Cool most commonly contests — the lowest tier of British racing — it has drawn a complete blank, with 0 wins from 5 attempts. That is the level where horses like this are expected to find their best chance, which makes the lack of a result there all the more telling.

What keeps things interesting, just about, is that Running Cool raced as recently as yesterday and remains an active competitor. Keatley's yard has been in solid form this season, sending out 42 winners, so the infrastructure and ability to place a horse well is clearly there. Whether Running Cool can be manoeuvred into a race where the pieces finally fall into place is the question. Two wins will always mean there is something in the locker — the horse has shown it knows how to get to the line first. The gap since it last did so, however, is now the defining feature of its story.