The recent form makes for interesting reading. Three of the last six runs produced finishes of seventh, which suggests some inconsistency — but sandwiched in between are a second and a fourth, and the most recent outing, just yesterday, came in fifth. That second place in particular hints that a win is not beyond this horse; on its best day, it is competitive. The question is whether it can string together everything at once rather than in pieces.
At Class 4 level — solid, competitive racing without quite reaching the top tier — Ahead Of Fashion has gone 0 from 5, which means it has yet to win at the grade it most regularly competes at. That is a challenge, but it is also worth remembering that being placed at this level without winning is not the same as being out of its depth. It belongs here. It just needs fortune to go its way.
The horse is trained by Dominic Ffrench Davis, based in Lambourn in Berkshire — one of the great centres of British racing, a village that lives and breathes horses. The yard has sent out 12 winners already this season, which shows this is a team that knows how to get horses ready to win. The fact that Ahead Of Fashion hasn't joined that list yet is not for want of preparation. Sometimes a horse just needs the right day, the right race, and a bit of luck at the right moment. Ahead Of Fashion looks like a horse that is saving all of those things up for one afternoon — and when they arrive together, the wait will have been worth it.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolverhampton Galloping |
2 | 1 second, 1 other | 8 May | 0% |
| Kempton Park Galloping |
2 | 1 second, 1 other | 1 Apr | 0% |
| Windsor Sharp |
2 | 2 other | 1 Sep | 0% |
| Goodwood Undulating |
2 | 1 third, 1 other | 5 Jun | 0% |
| Doncaster Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 29 Mar | 0% |
| Newmarket Galloping |
1 | 1 third | 1 Aug | 0% |
| Salisbury Undulating |
1 | 1 other | 14 Jun | 0% |
| Newbury Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 15 Aug | 0% |
| Chester Tight |
1 | 1 other | 31 May | 0% |