Blue Celestial

The recent form makes for interesting reading. In the last six races, Blue Celestial has put together a sequence of fourth, second, and third — three placings on the bounce. That is a horse in form, finishing in the prizes race after race, and it raced just yesterday, so there is no question of rustiness. The seventh-place finish before that run of places suggests something clicked, and the horse has been knocking on the door ever since.

The trainer is James Tate, one of the sharper operations based out of Newmarket — the spiritual home of British flat racing. Tate's yard has sent out 48 winners already this season, which tells you this is a yard with horses ready to run and run well. Blue Celestial isn't being sent out to make up the numbers; it's coming from a set-up that knows how to win races and has been doing so at a healthy clip this season.

The question hanging over Blue Celestial right now is whether those consistent placings are the sign of a horse on the verge of breaking through, or one that will spend its career as a nearly-horse. Three places in three races is genuinely encouraging — many horses go entire seasons without that kind of consistency. But zero wins from nine is also a fact. At three years old, there is still time, and with a trainer putting up winners at the rate Tate's yard is managing this season, the opportunity should come. Whether Blue Celestial takes it is what makes the next race worth watching.