Leitzel

What's particularly interesting is how compressed her winning chapter was. Both victories came in the space of less than a month in the summer of 2022 — first at Haydock in early August, then again at the same course on 2 September. Her jockey at the time, Danny Tudhope, noted that the ground probably wasn't ideal on the second occasion and that she was still quite green and nervous. His read was that she had plenty of improvement in her. That never quite materialised at the level people were hoping for. It is now 45 months since she last won, and her last six runs make for difficult reading: a third place finish at best, with a non-finish mixed in.

Her trainer, S McParlan, based across the Irish Sea in Newry, has sent out just one winner this season, which gives you a sense of the scale of the operation. The yard isn't firing on all cylinders right now, and Leitzel's own form backs that up. She does have a sweet spot on paper — her best results have come over seven furlongs to a mile, where she's won 2 from 3 races (67%) — and the trainer has previously suggested she could stay a mile and a quarter, though that stretch in trip hasn't translated into wins.

She raced just one day ago and remains active, so the story isn't over. But for now, Leitzel reads like a horse who had a brief, bright moment at a track she clearly enjoyed, and has been searching for that feeling ever since.