Mehmas Engine

Her recent form suggests a horse still finding her feet on the track. In her last six runs she has finished outside the placings three times, but sandwiched in there are two third-place finishes and, more encouragingly, two seconds in her two most recent starts. That climb from unplaced to placed in just 14 days hints at a filly beginning to understand what racing demands. With no wins yet from six attempts, Mehmas Engine is clearly operating at a level where success does not come easily, but the fact that she has found the frame twice already—roughly one in three of her runs—shows she is competitive enough to threaten a race, even if she has not quite managed to complete the job.

At three years old, Mehmas Engine still has time to mature and improve. Dace's yard is on an upward curve this season with six winners already to their name, which suggests a team confident in their ability to develop young talent. For a horse described as "pretty quick" and who is showing signs of tightening up her form, a first win may not be far away.