Hanney Girl

The key to unlocking Hanney Girl is simple: dry ground. On fast, dry ground she has won 2 of her 3 races — that's a two-in-three record that any trainer would be delighted with. Put her on wet or muddy ground and the story is very different. It's the kind of pattern that tells you the team at Great Habton will be keeping one eye on the weather forecast every time they consider running her.

She's trained by Tim Easterby, one of the most prolific yards in the north of England — 126 winners already this season, which is an extraordinary number and a sign of a stable firing on all cylinders. Hanney Girl's regular partner in the saddle is David Allan, and together they've struck up a productive partnership: 2 wins from 6 races, meaning they've won 1 in every 3 times they've teamed up. That's a strong record and suggests Allan understands how to get the best out of her.

Her two wins have come at Beverley and Ripon — both northern tracks, both on dry ground, and both at Class 5 level, which is the bread-and-butter tier of British racing. At that level she has won 2 of her 4 races, so exactly half the time she's lined up in that grade, she's come home first. That's a genuinely impressive ratio and suggests she's well-suited to that company rather than being over-matched or under-challenged.

The one note of caution is her recent form. Her last six runs read 5-7-6-5-2-1 from most recent backwards — meaning she won last at Ripon back in late August and has since had five consecutive runs without winning, including a couple of efforts deep in mid-field. She raced just yesterday, so she's very much in training and active. Whether the team can find the right combination of dry ground and suitable company to bring that winning form back is the question — but on her best days, she's shown she absolutely can do it.