Auntie Maggie

The partnership with jockey Jonathan Burke has been the key ingredient. Together they have won 3 of their 9 races — that's 1 in every 3, a win rate that would make most jockey-horse combinations genuinely envious. Burke clearly understands what makes this horse tick, and Alastair Ralph's yard at Bridgnorth has been more than happy to keep putting them together. Ralph himself has had a productive season, sending out 25 winners, so Auntie Maggie is part of a stable that knows how to get horses performing.

She tends to operate at Class 5 level — essentially the bread-and-butter tier of British racing, where horses like her can be competitive without being thrown in against the very best. At that level, she has won 3 of her 10 races, which is 30%, or almost 1 in every 3. That is a genuinely solid record and suggests she is well placed by her trainer. Her recent form has been a little inconsistent — a string of mid-field finishes bookending that Uttoxeter win — but she raced just a day ago, which means she is firmly in training and being kept busy. A horse that runs regularly is a horse whose team believes it still has something to give.

At seven, Auntie Maggie is no youngster, but she is not old by racing standards either. Horses can continue competing well into their teens, and with a win rate of 1 in 5 across her career and a 1-in-3 record alongside her preferred jockey, there is every reason to think she can add to her tally. The trainer clearly has confidence in her — you don't keep a horse active if you've given up on it. Watch for her when Burke is in the saddle and the conditions suit.