Blue Universe

What keeps things interesting is that this horse is rarely far away. Twelve places from 29 races tells you Blue Universe is competitive — turning up, running honestly, finishing in the frame — just not quite getting its nose in front. The last six runs back that up: a second place, a third, a fifth, an eighth, and another second, with an unplaced run thrown in. That is a horse that seems to find a level just below winning. It is the kind of form that makes you keep watching, even if it tests your patience.

The numbers do sharpen at a certain distance. Over one mile one furlong to one mile two furlongs, Blue Universe has won one from three races — a 33% win rate that stands out sharply against its overall record. For context, winning one in three races at any distance would make a horse genuinely exciting. It suggests there is a sweet spot where this horse is a different proposition entirely, even if it has not managed to convert that promise into another win yet.

Blue Universe typically competes at Class 5, which is the bread-and-butter level of British racing — the races that fill out midweek cards at tracks like Wolverhampton. At that level, it has won one from 14 races, a 7% win rate. Regular jockey Marc Goldstein has not yet found the key, going winless from their seven races together. Trainer Michael Attwater, based at Epsom in Surrey, has had a productive season with 25 winners from the yard, so the infrastructure is there. Blue Universe raced just yesterday, which means it is firmly in training and the team clearly believes there is another win in it somewhere. Whether Wolverhampton will be the venue again remains to be seen.