Too Hot To Tango

The recent form makes for interesting reading: third, third, third, second, third, second across its last six races. That is six consecutive placings without a win, which at first glance sounds frustrating, but tells you this is a horse running at a level where it genuinely belongs — it is competitive every time it lines up, just getting beaten by a horse or two on each occasion. At Class 4, which is the bread-and-butter level of British racing, it has placed in 6 of its 6 attempts without winning any of them. That is a peculiar kind of achievement — perfectly placed, never quite able to convert.

Too Hot To Tango is only three years old, which means there is still time for the picture to change. Three-year-olds are still developing physically and mentally, and horses of this age can improve markedly from one month to the next. The trainer is Hughie Morrison, whose yard at East Ilsley in Berkshire has sent out 20 winners already this season — so this is not a struggling operation. Morrison clearly knows how to get horses to run their races. The question with Too Hot To Tango is whether he can find the right conditions to turn all those near-misses into a first victory.

Having raced just yesterday, this is a horse in the thick of an active campaign. If the placings keep coming, the yard — sorry, the team — may look to drop down a level to find a race it can win, or they may back themselves that a small step forward in form is all it needs. Either way, Too Hot To Tango is the kind of horse that is easy to root for: consistent, competitive, and still waiting for its moment.