Polygram

The form is modest overall: one win and eight places from 17 races amounts to a win rate of roughly 1 in every 17 races, which tells you this is a consistent but unexceptional performer. What stands out, though, is the shape of recent form. In the last six races, Polygram has finished in the first three places five times—a second, two thirds, and two fourths in there alongside the win—which suggests the horse is running well and close to competitive. That recent Hamilton Park victory is not a fluke born of luck; it is the reward for a horse that has been trying hard and getting near the prize repeatedly.

The win came at a distance that clearly suits it. Over the mile-and-a-quarter to mile-and-a-half range, Polygram has won 1 of 8 races—a 12% win rate, which is twice the overall average. That is a genuine strength to build on. Under the training of Tristan Davidson, whose Irthington yard has sent out 21 winners this season, Polygram is in a stable producing results. The one concern is that the horse has never won in top-level races—it is 0 from 7 when stepped up to Class 5 company—so it remains very much an animal that belongs at the lower end of the scale. Still, for a horse that has been racing for some time without success, breaking through this week at the track that suits it is encouraging news.