Blakefell

The worry is that four months have passed since that Musselburgh success, and the recent form is a downward spiral. In its last six races, Blakefell has managed just two second-place finishes and a third, along with three much worse efforts. The most recent outing, just a day ago, saw it finish seventh — a reminder that at this level, inconsistency is the real problem. When Blakefell steps up to Class 2 races, the picture darkens further: it has yet to win from three attempts at that level, suggesting the gap between winning races and competing at the top end is proving too wide at present.

Trainer Ivan Furtado's yard at Wiseton is in form this season with 43 winners to their name, so there is no shortage of expertise. The question now is whether Blakefell can rediscover the form that earned its breakthrough win and start converting those near-misses into victories. At three years old, time is on its side, but four months without a win is a long drought in racing.