Blue Topaz

In her last five outings, Blue Topaz ran third most recently, then seventh before that, a no-show, a first-place finish (the October win), and fourth before that. The pattern reads like a horse that has had moments but struggles for consistency. With a win rate of roughly 1 in 5 races, she is firmly in the middle tier of ability. Fergal O'Brien trains him from Withington in Gloucestershire, a yard that has been busy this season with 90 winners already sent out, so Blue Topaz is certainly not the headline act in the stable. The horse is active and racing regularly, which is encouraging—at least the yard believe there is more to come—but eleven months is a long time to wait between celebrations in racing, and the recent form suggests there is work to be done before the next one arrives.