Creciente

She runs in Class 5 company — the lower end of the British racing ladder — and has yet to win in four attempts at that level. That said, trainer Rod Millman is not a man given to false optimism. His yard in Kentisbeare, Devon has sent out 42 winners this season alone, which is a genuinely impressive tally and a sign that when Millman says a horse has potential, it is worth listening. He bought Creciente specifically to fill the shoes of a previous stable favourite called Crystal Casque — and he is the first to acknowledge that is no small ask. "Very big boots to fill" were his words, which suggests Crystal Casque meant a lot to the yard.

What gives the profile a more hopeful shape is where Millman plans to take her next. She has a handicap rating of 66 — a number that essentially tells race organisers how good she is relative to other horses, so races can be made more competitive — and the plan is to head to Newbury for a nursery race, a type of race open only to three-year-olds running under those handicap conditions for the first time. Newbury is one of Britain's most respected tracks, and the fact she is being aimed there rather than kept in lower-grade company suggests the team believes there is more in the tank. Millman also describes her as easy to train and straightforward in her temperament, which in racing terms is genuinely valuable — a horse that gives you no problems at home is one you can actually work with. The first win may still be coming.