Jet Noir

The most recent of those runs came just yesterday, so Jet Noir is very much a horse in the thick of its season rather than one winding down. Whether that latest effort showed any encouragement or followed the same pattern as the two before it, time will tell, but the team will at least have fresh information to work with.

Jet Noir is trained by Jackie Stephen at Lilliesleaf in Roxburghshire, a small yard in the Scottish Borders that has quietly sent out three winners already this season. That is a decent return for an operation of its size, which tells you Stephen knows how to place a horse to give it a chance. The question now is finding the right opportunity for this one, because three runs without a sniff of the prize money means something needs to change — whether that is the track, the conditions, or simply more time and experience. Not every horse finds its feet quickly, and at five years old, Jet Noir still has time on its side.