Asgar

The telling detail is what happens when Asgar gets the distance and ground he appears to prefer. Over seven furlongs to a mile, he has won 1 of 3 races—a 33% win rate that stands out sharply against his overall record. That is the kind of clue trainers live for. Clive Cox, who trains Asgar at his Lambourn yard in Berkshire, is not short of ammunition this season: the yard has already sent out 48 winners, so there is genuine form there. Recent runs read 2-4-1-6-4-9, which means a second place two starts back and a win three back, followed by some harder luck. It is the pattern of a young horse still learning, rather than one with a fundamental problem. At two years old, Asgar has time to improve, and if Cox can nail down his ideal conditions, there may be better days ahead.