Poet's Dawn

The real story is in the recent months. Poet's Dawn has won 3 of its last 6 races, including a victory at Ripon four weeks ago, which means this horse is still competitive and still winning at a time when many would be winding down. The run before that was a win too, and the one before that — two straight victories — suggesting a purple patch that has lifted it well above its usual rate. That kind of form in an 11-year-old is worth noting. It races almost always at Class 5 level, where it has won 4 of 28 races (14%), a slightly better return than its overall figures, indicating it is genuinely suited to that grade.

There is a course where Poet's Dawn truly excels: Nottingham. Two wins from three races there is not luck — that is dominance. It is a track where something clicks for this horse, and the yard clearly know it. Tim Easterby's yard at Great Habton in Yorkshire, which has sent out 128 winners this season alone, keeps the horse competitive and race-fit. David Allan, its most frequent jockey, has partnered it in 23 races but won on only 2 of those occasions, so while Allan knows the horse, there is no special magic there. What matters is that Poet's Dawn raced just a day ago and is still in work, still trying. That tells you everything: this is a horse that has earned its place and still has something to give.