Daring Plan

The partnership with jockey Lucy Gardner is a long-standing one — 13 of those 16 races have been ridden together, which speaks to a loyalty between horse and rider that is relatively rare. The problem is that their combined record sits at 0 wins from 13, meaning the pair have yet to find the race where everything clicks. That said, five places across the career suggest Daring Plan is no stranger to the finish line — it just keeps finishing the wrong side of it.

Trainer Sue Gardner has had a productive season, sending out 8 winners from the yard, which shows the operation knows how to get a horse to win. Daring Plan has largely raced at Class 5, the level where horses typically have the best chance of breaking their duck, yet even there the record reads 0 from 9. That is a notable stat — Class 5 is not the highest level of competition in Britain, and a horse of this experience not converting at that level raises genuine questions about whether a win is coming at all.

Still, Daring Plan raced just two days ago, which means the team clearly believes there is something worth running for. Recent form shows a second and a fifth from the last two completed runs, and that second place in particular suggests the horse can still put in a performance. At 8 years old, time is not unlimited, but a second place finish is a reminder that on the right day, in the right race, the long-awaited first win is not completely out of reach.