Jazz Queen

That second-place finish is the detail that matters most here. A horse that has never won but has already been competitive enough to finish runner-up is showing she belongs at the track — she just hasn't quite got her nose in front yet. The sixth place is the one to set aside for now, at least until we know more about who she was racing against and what the conditions were like.

She ran just yesterday, which means she is right in the middle of her season and actively being campaigned. Hugo Palmer, who trains her from his yard in Malpas, Cheshire, is clearly keeping her busy. Palmer's operation has been in strong form this season — 66 winners sent out already, which is the mark of a yard that knows what it's doing and isn't short of decent horses to work with. When a trainer of that calibre keeps running a young horse, it usually means they see something worth developing.

At two years old, Jazz Queen is essentially a student still sitting her early exams. Horses this age are learning the job as they go — learning to race, to settle, to respond under pressure. The fact that she has already placed suggests the lessons are going in. Whether she can turn that promise into a win is the question the next few races should start to answer.