Skirt Around

What gives genuine reason for optimism is the trainer's name above the stable door. Philip Kirby, operating out of East Appleton in North Yorkshire, has sent out 36 winners already this season — that is a yard in seriously good form, the kind of operation where horses tend to improve with each run rather than stagnate. When a trainer is firing in winners at that rate, you pay attention to the horses in his care that haven't broken through yet, because the record suggests he knows what he's doing with them.

Skirt Around's recent form reads 6-4-3-8 going back through her last four races, which actually tells a more interesting story than the current season's blank might suggest. That third-place finish is the solitary placed effort, but the trajectory isn't a simple line in one direction — she has been competitive enough to creep into the frame, and at three years old she has plenty of time to work things out. Some horses just need a particular set of circumstances to click: the right track, the right conditions, a clear run through the field. None of that has happened yet for Skirt Around, but with an in-form yard pulling the strings, the wait for a first win may not be a long one.