Trackman

His recent form offers little encouragement. In his last six outings he has finished eighth, fifth, sixth, fifth, sixth, and seventh—a pattern that shows occasional moments of getting into the mix but no ability to string together anything resembling a winning run. He was out again just a day ago and continues to race regularly under trainer Simon Pearce at Newmarket. Tyler Heard, his most frequent jockey, has ridden him seven times without success. Pearce's yard has sent out five winners this season, so the trainer is managing other horses effectively, which makes Trackman's blank harder to explain away as a yard issue.

The hard truth is that Trackman is what racing people would recognize as a horse who simply cannot win races, even at the lower levels where he belongs. Five places from 26 attempts suggests he is not entirely without merit—he does occasionally get close enough to earn a share of the prizemoney—but something in his makeup or circumstances means a win remains out of reach. For a horse now six years old still chasing that breakthrough, time is becoming the real enemy.