Blue Wonder

Her recent form is worth unpacking. Six races without a win, yes, but she finished second in one of those, and trainer Hughie Morrison is quick to point out that she wasn't beaten by much last time out at Haydock, where she chased home a horse called Previse. In racing, the difference between a winner and a horse that keeps finding one too good can come down to small margins and a little luck — and Morrison's phrase "the rub of the green" is exactly that: the right pace, the right gap, the right moment. Blue Wonder has been knocking on the door; she just hasn't had anyone answer yet.

Morrison trains out of East Ilsley in Berkshire, a yard that has sent out 20 winners already this season, which tells you this is not an operation short of ability or organisation. When a trainer with that kind of firepower says a horse is "nice" and talks about bringing her back to a track she has already run well at, that is worth paying attention to. Haydock on Friday could be the day things finally click.

She tends to compete at Class 5 level — the entry point for most racehorses in Britain, where the fields are competitive and winning is never guaranteed. Zero wins from four races at that level is honest rather than alarming; plenty of horses take time to get their moment. She raced just yesterday, so the team clearly think she is in good form and ready to go again quickly. That confidence from the yard, combined with a track she has shown she likes, makes Blue Wonder one of those horses where the first win feels less like a question of if and more like a question of when.