Very Demure

The recent form makes for interesting reading. After a string of mid-pack finishes — fifth, sixth, fifth — the last two runs have brought a third place and then a second, which is exactly the kind of improving pattern that keeps a trainer interested. Whether that momentum translates into a first win remains to be seen, but the direction of travel is encouraging.

That trainer is Archie Watson, based at Upper Lambourn in Berkshire, one of the most storied training villages in British racing. Watson's yard has sent out 65 winners already this season, which tells you this is a serious, well-resourced operation that knows how to get a horse ready to win. The fact that Very Demure hasn't managed it yet probably says more about the horse finding its feet than any lack of preparation. Most of Very Demure's races have come at Class 5, the entry-level tier of British racing, and it has yet to win at that level from three attempts — but the recent placed efforts suggest it is at least competitive there. For a horse in a yard firing on all cylinders, picking up that first victory in the right spot feels more like a matter of when than if.