Addictive

The most encouraging sign is the recent run. A third-place finish yesterday keeps Addictive active and competitive at a level where victory does not feel impossible. Across the last six races, the horse has shown it can finish in the frame: that third-place effort sits alongside a seventh, an eighth, an eleventh, and a thirteenth. There is variation there, which is typical for a horse learning its trade, but the ceiling is higher than the floor — and the recent third suggests Addictive is heading in the right direction.

Craig Benton's yard at Epsom has sent out seven winners already this season, so the trainer is in form and clearly knows how to build a horse for success. That kind of record suggests patience and a good eye for placing a horse in the right race. For Addictive, the next win may simply be a matter of time and the right opportunity. Plenty of solid racehorses take double figures to break their duck, and this one still has room to prove itself.