La Rochette

What makes La Rochette genuinely interesting is what trainer Tracy Waggott says about her away from the racecourse. Based at Spennymoor in County Durham, Waggott has been candid that this horse is her personal pick from the yard — high praise from a trainer who has sent out 11 winners already this season, so she clearly knows what a winner looks like. Waggott describes La Rochette as having a beautiful, long stride at home, the kind that catches the eye on a quiet morning. The key, she says, is the ground. La Rochette wants it wet and muddy, and until she gets that, you are essentially watching a horse running in conditions that simply do not suit her.

That context reframes the whole record. Zero wins from 14 races looks bleak on paper, but if a horse genuinely needs soft, rain-softened ground to show its best, and has mostly raced without it, those bare numbers become almost misleading. Regular jockey William Pyle has ridden her six times without a win, but if Waggott is right, neither of them has yet had the race they are really waiting for. She raced just yesterday, so the team are clearly keeping her active and ready — and if the weather turns and the ground gets heavy, La Rochette might suddenly look like a very different horse altogether.