Lady Vanguard

What makes the situation more intriguing is where she is trained. George Scott's Newmarket yard has sent out 51 winners already this season, which is a serious body of work. That is not a yard throwing horses at the wall and hoping something sticks — it is an operation that knows how to get results. When a yard of that calibre keeps running a horse, it usually means they see potential that the form book has not yet captured.

Lady Vanguard has done most of her racing at Class 4 level — solid, competitive races without being the very top tier — and has drawn a blank in all three attempts at that grade. The recent form figures of 8-4 in her last two completed runs show at least a hint of improvement, a fourth-place finish being the closest she has come to picking up a cheque. It is not much to hang your hat on, but in the context of a horse who has struggled to land a blow, finishing fourth is at least a move in the right direction.

The honest assessment is that Lady Vanguard has not shown enough yet to suggest a win is imminent. But she is young, she is in active training with a yard that clearly believes the best is still to come, and the sport has a long history of horses who took time to find their feet before suddenly clicking into gear. Whether that story has a happy chapter ahead remains to be seen.