Wath Court

Part of the answer might be loyalty. Jockey Faye McManoman has partnered Wath Court nine times without a win to show for it, which speaks either to remarkable patience or to a genuine belief that something is around the corner. The pair have yet to find it. Recent form tells a similarly difficult story — finishing sixth, tenth, tenth, ninth, eleventh, and eleventh across the last six outings, those results point to a horse that is currently struggling to land a blow even at the bottom end of the sport.

That bottom end is Class 6, the entry level of British racing, where Wath Court has run 18 times and still not won. To put that in perspective, Class 6 is where horses go to find easier opportunities — and even there, a win has proved elusive. Trainer Philip Kirby, based at East Appleton in North Yorkshire, clearly knows how to get horses winning: his yard has sent out 36 winners already this season, which shows the operation is in good health. Wath Court just hasn't been able to add to that tally.

Raced as recently as yesterday, so this is very much an active campaign rather than a story already closed. Whether Wath Court can finally break through remains to be seen, but after 30 races and six years, patience is the one thing everyone involved has in abundance.