Dragonflame

The recent form figures are actually more encouraging than the overall record suggests. Reading back from the most recent race, the sequence of 11-9-2-2-3-2 shows a horse that was well beaten in its last two outings but had put together a decent run of placed efforts before that — finishing second three times and third once across four consecutive races. That kind of consistency in the minor positions is the hallmark of a horse that is genuinely trying but perhaps needs things to fall perfectly in its favour to get its nose in front for the first time.

Dragonflame has spent most of its career racing at Class 5, which is the bread-and-butter level of British racing — competitive enough, but not the top tier. Going 0 from 6 at that level is a concern, because these are exactly the races it should be winning if it is going to win anywhere. Trainer Brian Meehan operates out of the well-regarded Manton yard in Wiltshire and has sent out 13 winners already this season, so the team clearly knows how to get a horse to the winner's enclosure. The question is whether Dragonflame, after five months away, can finally give them something to celebrate.