Dorney Lake

What's more interesting is where Dorney Lake genuinely shines. At Great Yarmouth, he's a different proposition entirely. He has won two of his three races there — a one-in-one-and-a-half win rate that marks him out as a real course specialist. On normal ground conditions, too, he steps up noticeably, winning two from six across all tracks, nearly double his overall rate. When the going is firm or the ground is fast, he's a different horse. Trainer Liam Bailey, who runs his yard from Middleham in North Yorkshire, clearly sees something in him worth developing. Bailey has mentioned Dorney Lake as a candidate for Royal Ascot later this year, either in the Wokingham or possibly the Buckingham Palace, a seven-furlong race. The step up in distance might suit him, Bailey suggests, even if getting into Ascot isn't guaranteed. It's the kind of cautious optimism that reflects what Dorney Lake actually is: a useful, dependable horse with genuine strengths at certain tracks and ground conditions, but not yet a top-flight performer. Still, he's clearly fit and active enough to keep running, and Bailey's yard is in decent form with 17 winners sent out this season.