Eskimo Pie

The recent form makes for mixed reading. Those last six races read 4-6-3-8-7-3, which tells a story of inconsistency rather than steady progress. The two third-place finishes show the ability is there; the sixth, seventh, and eighth place efforts suggest that ability doesn't always show up on the day. For a young horse still learning its trade, that kind of variance isn't unusual, but it does mean the yard will be working hard to find the right conditions to unlock a win.

What makes Eskimo Pie's situation particularly interesting is where it has been running. All three of its races at the highest level — Class 1, the very top tier of British racing — have come up blank. That's a tough ask for any horse, let alone one without a win to its name. It speaks to the ambition of Jane Chapple-Hyam's yard that the horse has been placed in those contests, but it also raises the question of whether a step back in grade might be exactly what Eskimo Pie needs to finally break its duck.

Chapple-Hyam, based at Dalham in Suffolk, has had a productive season with 25 winners already on the board, so this is clearly a yard that knows how to get horses winning. The fact that Eskimo Pie hasn't joined that tally yet doesn't mean it won't — it raced just yesterday, so it is very much an active project. Sometimes a young horse just needs one day when everything clicks: the pace of the race suits, the ground plays to its strengths, and the confidence that comes with a first victory suddenly makes everything look different. Eskimo Pie is still waiting for that day.