Vecchio

The recent form makes for equally tough reading. In the last six races, the best finish has been fifth, with a tenth and an eighth thrown in for good measure. That is not a horse threatening to break its duck — that is a horse finding new ways to finish in the second half of the field. Vecchio raced just yesterday, so at least enthusiasm is not the problem.

What makes the record particularly striking is where these races have been run. Class 6 is the lowest tier of British racing — essentially the entry-level category where horses compete who have not shown enough quality to move up the ladder. Vecchio has run twelve times at that level and not won once. When a horse cannot win at the bottom rung, it raises a genuine question about whether a win will ever come. Scott Dixon's yard at Rolleston in Nottinghamshire has been in decent form this season — 33 winners is a solid return — which suggests the operation knows what it is doing. But there are horses in every yard that simply refuse to win, and Vecchio looks very much like one of them.

None of this means Vecchio is a bad horse to follow — sometimes the most interesting story in racing is the one still waiting for its ending. Every race Vecchio lines up for is another chapter in a long and fruitless search for a first victory, and somewhere in the sport there are fans who would rather cheer home a long-suffering horse finally getting its moment than watch a champion win again. Vecchio just has not delivered that moment yet. Twenty-nine attempts and counting.