Candy

Her overall record reads 4 wins and 5 places from 15 races — that is a win rate of 27%, or just over 1 in every 4 times she has lined up. For context, most racehorses win far less often than that, so those numbers reflect a genuinely competitive animal. The partnership with jockey George Wood has been particularly productive: together they have won 4 of their 11 races, a remarkable rate of 36%, or more than 1 in every 3 rides. That kind of consistency between horse and rider is not a coincidence — it suggests a real understanding between the two.

The most striking thing about Candy, though, is what happens when the heavens open. On wet or muddy ground, she has won 3 of her 4 races — a success rate of 75%, or three out of every four attempts. That is a staggering figure, and it means that on a soggy autumn afternoon, she becomes an entirely different proposition. Trainer Richard Spencer, who operates out of Newmarket and has already sent out 27 winners this season, clearly knows how to place her to maximum effect.

Recent form shows two finishes well down the field — 17th and 20th — sandwiched between better runs, which adds a note of unpredictability. But her last two results are a 4th and then a win, suggesting she was finding her best form again before heading into a break that has now stretched to roughly five months. That absence is the big question mark. Horses returning from a long layoff can need a run to find their feet — but equally, a fresh Candy, handed a wet day at a track she likes, could be devastating. Given what she has already achieved before her fourth birthday, there is every reason to think her best days are still ahead of her.