Jo's Secret

The recent form makes for interesting reading. Finishing fourth, third, and second in three of its last four races, Jo's Secret has been heading in the right direction, and with a race just yesterday it is clearly fit and active. That sequence of placings suggests the horse is competitive at its current level — not dominant, but rarely out of contention either. The one blip, a seventh-place finish, sits in the middle of the run and looks more like an off day than a pattern.

Behind the horse is A J Martin, a trainer based at Summerhill in County Meath with a yard that has sent out 15 winners already this season. That's a stable in decent form, which matters — horses tend to run to their best when the whole operation is ticking along nicely. Martin will be well aware that Jo's Secret has the pieces in place; the challenge now is finding the right race to put it all together.

At six years old, time isn't exactly running out, but it's fair to say the clock is ticking on converting those near-misses into a first win. Some horses are simply more reliable placers than winners — they're good enough to beat most, not quite good enough to beat the best on the day. Jo's Secret may yet prove that wrong, and given how close it has been running lately, the first win might not be too far away.