Sweet Love

What makes this particularly striking is that Sweet Love is not being asked to do anything especially difficult. It has raced four times at Class 5, which is the entry-level tier of British racing — the races designed for horses that have not yet shown they can win. And yet even there, at the easiest level available, it has drawn a blank in all four attempts. That pattern suggests a horse that is competitive enough to turn up and fill out a field, but has not yet found a gear that takes it past rivals when it matters.

The backdrop here is worth noting. Charlie Johnston's operation is one of the most productive yards in the country — 128 winners sent out this season alone, which is a remarkable throughput for any training yard. Johnston knows how to get horses winning. The fact that Sweet Love remains on zero suggests the talent simply has not clicked yet, or that the right race has not quite presented itself. At three years old there is still time, and horses do sometimes find their stride later in the season. But right now, having raced just one day ago and with that run of 8-6-5-5-6-7 still fresh, Sweet Love is a horse with plenty of questions still to answer.