Advance Twentyfive

What makes the story more complicated is where Advance Twentyfive has been asked to compete. Three of its nine races have come at Class 2 level — that's among the better races in Britain — and it has come up empty each time. That's a tough ask for any horse still searching for a first win, and it does raise the question of whether dropping into softer company might finally unlock a victory. Racing at the top end of the sport before you've got a win on the board is a bit like being sent to play at Wimbledon before you've won a club tournament.

The yard behind the horse is Richard and Peter Fahey, one of the more respected training operations in the north of England, based at Musley Bank in North Yorkshire. With nine winners already on the board this season, the Faheys clearly know how to get a horse ready to win. The fact that Advance Twentyfive hasn't delivered yet probably says more about opportunity and circumstance than about the quality of the training. With the horse having raced just one day ago, it is very much an active project, and whatever comes next will be closely watched.