Vengeance

The recent form makes for familiar reading for anyone who follows Vengeance. Six runs, no wins, with finishing positions of sixth, a gap, then fourth, fifth, fifth, and fourth as you work back through the record. Those mid-pack finishes are consistent in their own way — this is not a horse that blows up or trails in last — but consistent fourth and fifth places at Class 4 level, which is roughly the middle tier of British racing, means Vengeance is competing in races it ought to be able to win and hasn't managed it across seven attempts at that level.

At 8 years old, Vengeance is a mature, experienced horse. The clock is not on its side in terms of improvement, but experience counts for something, and the fact it raced just yesterday shows the team keep believing. Whether the win finally comes is the question that every race brings afresh. For now, Vengeance remains one of racing's nearly horses — present, placing, but still waiting.