Private Project

At three years old, there is still time on Private Project's side. Young horses at this age are very much still learning — learning the job, learning to race, learning how to use whatever ability they have. That 3rd place finish sitting in the middle of that recent run of results is the one moment of genuine promise, a sign that the talent might be there even if it hasn't translated into a win yet.

Pat Phelan trains the horse from a yard based in Epsom, Surrey — a town synonymous with British flat racing and home to the famous Derby course. The yard has sent out six winners already this season, so the team clearly knows how to get horses to perform. The fact that Private Project hasn't fired yet isn't for lack of a capable operation behind it. At Class 5, the horse is competing at the entry level of the British racing pyramid — these are the races designed for horses still finding their feet, which makes the lack of a win slightly more puzzling, but also means there is nowhere obvious to go but up if things click into place. The horse raced just yesterday, so it is very much in the thick of things right now, and the team will be hoping that somewhere in the next few outings, all those near-misses start to add up to something.