Search For Glory

The overall record is genuinely solid for a horse at this level. Winning 5 from 24 — roughly 1 in every 5 races — is respectable, and another 12 places on top of that means Search For Glory has finished in the money in more than two thirds of its career outings. This is not a horse that runs and disappears; it competes. The problem is that competing and winning are two very different things, and the last six races have produced nothing but a pair of runner-up finishes sandwiched around four blank efforts.

One thing worth watching is the ground. On wet, muddy ground, Search For Glory transforms — two wins from just five races in those conditions works out at 40%, which is a remarkable conversion rate. That's winning 2 in every 5 races when the mud is flying. Most horses tolerate conditions rather than relish them; this one actively seems to come alive when the ground gets heavy. Keep an eye on the weather forecast.

The trickier picture is at the top end of the sport. Elliott's yard is operating at a blistering level this season — 209 winners and counting — but Search For Glory has been sent to Class 1 races, the very best races in the calendar, five times and come away empty-handed every time. That's not a disgrace; these are the hardest races to win. But it does suggest the ceiling has been found.

Regular partner Sam Ewing has ridden the horse seven times, winning once together — about 1 in 7, or 14%. There's a relationship there, but it hasn't caught fire yet. With Elliott's operation firing on all cylinders around it, Search For Glory finds itself in the position many experienced racehorses know well: still active, still placing, still waiting for the moment everything clicks again.