Azure Angel

What makes Azure Angel genuinely interesting is her love of slow, muddy ground. On wet or soft surfaces, she wins 3 out of every 5 races—a 60% win rate that towers above her overall 22% record. This suggests Bethell has identified something crucial about her: she thrives when the going gets heavy. Her trainer has also found that dropping her down to five furlongs has sharpened her up considerably after years being run over six. Her recent form tells a story of a horse waking up—she placed in two of her last six runs and has two wins in her last nine, which is a marked improvement on what came before. At Class 3 level, where she has typically run, she wins only about 1 in 7 times, but moving into better races and onto softer ground seems to be the key. With the Temple Stakes mentioned as a logical target and the yard having sent out 61 winners already this season, Azure Angel looks like a horse whose best racing may be ahead of her if conditions and distance stay in her favour.