Trust Amy

Her recent form reads 5-6-5-1-5-4 — meaning her last six races, from most recent backwards, have produced a mix of mid-field finishes bookending that Chester victory. She has not set the world alight, but at Class 4 — the middle tier of everyday racing — she has won 1 from 4 races at that level, which works out at 25%, or 1 in every 4. For a horse her age still learning the game, that is a respectable conversion rate at her natural level.

The main talking point right now is the gap. Trust Amy last raced 123 days ago — just over four months — so she is returning from a meaningful break. That can go either way: some horses come back sharper, others need a run to find their rhythm again. What gives quiet confidence is the yard behind her. Gary Hanmer trains just down the road in Tattenhall, Cheshire, and has sent out 19 winners this season — a productive yard by any measure, and one with an obvious familiarity with the local tracks. When a small, busy yard keeps a young horse ticking over through a winter break, they usually have a reason.

At two, Trust Amy is barely getting started. The Chester win suggests she has a bit of ability, the yard clearly believes in her, and if the yard point her back to a track that already suits her, she is the kind of horse who could surprise a few people.