American Rose

She operates almost exclusively at Class 6, the entry level of British racing, and has won just 1 of her 25 races at that level — a rate of roughly 1 in 25. That's a tough number to sit with, though it's worth remembering that Class 6 is still competitive, and simply being placed as often as she has suggests she's a genuine contender most days, just not the one crossing the line first. Her first win came at Wolverhampton in December 2022, and her second — and most recent — arrived at Lingfield Park in August 2024, which is now 20 months ago. The gap since that last win is long enough to make it feel like a distant memory.

On normal ground, she shows her best form, winning 2 of her 19 races in those conditions — around 1 in every 10. That 11% win rate is modest in isolation, but it's meaningfully better than her overall record, so keeping her on a good surface clearly matters. Her recent runs tell a mixed story: a pair of second-place finishes and a third in the middle of her last six races show the spark is still there, but she has bookended that sequence with two disappointing eighths, and the win column has stayed empty.

Joe Leavy rides her most often, partnering her in 8 races and winning once together — roughly 1 in every 8, which is slightly better than her overall rate. Trainer James Evans, based at Kinnersley in Worcestershire, has sent out 8 winners this season, so the yard is ticking along. The question for American Rose is whether she can rediscover that winning feeling before her record becomes defined entirely by near-misses. She is clearly competitive enough to be in the mix — she just needs one more day when everything clicks.