Scottish Anthem

At seven years old, Scottish Anthem is no youngster, and the clock is always ticking for a horse yet to break its duck. The recent form makes for interesting reading: a second and a third in its last six runs suggest it is capable of mixing it with decent company, even if a ninth and a seventh in that same sequence show the inconsistency that has defined its career. It raced just yesterday, which means it is firmly in the mix right now — this is a horse in active campaign, not one being carefully managed back from a layoff.

What stands out is the level at which it has been placed. Scottish Anthem has run four times in Class 2 company — some of the better races in Britain — without winning any of them, but the fact it keeps being entered there tells you the team around it believes it belongs. Trainer Stuart Edmunds has had a productive season, sending out 24 winners from his Stewkley yard in Buckinghamshire, which is a healthy output for a training operation. Having a horse like Scottish Anthem on the books — one that places regularly at a high level without winning — is as much a source of quiet frustration as it is a sign of ambition.

The honest assessment is that Scottish Anthem is a horse that has made a career out of nearly. No wins from 14 races is a tough record to dress up, and at seven, the window for a breakthrough is narrowing. But those place finishes, especially recent ones at a competitive level, suggest there may still be a race out there with Scottish Anthem's name on it — it just hasn't arrived yet.