Sevenkingsmustdie

That said, context matters here. The horse only raced yesterday, so this is very much a story still being written. Running twice and finishing mid-pack doesn't mean a horse is without promise — some take time to figure out what's being asked of them, and trainers often know more than the results suggest about where a horse is headed.

What works in Sevenkingsmustdie's favour is the yard behind it. Alan King, based at Wroughton in Wiltshire, has had 58 winners already this season — that's a serious operation with the know-how to bring a horse along at the right pace. King isn't a trainer who runs horses for the sake of it, so the fact that this one keeps getting entries suggests the team sees something worth persevering with. Whether Sevenkingsmustdie can find a race to match that extraordinary name remains to be seen, but with an active trainer in form and only two races on the clock, it's far too early to write it off.