Cherry Cola

The numbers hint at a horse that performs best over longer distances between a mile and six furlongs and two miles. At those trips, Cherry Cola has a 9 per cent win rate — two wins from 23 races — which is nearly twice as good as the overall record. It also prefers the lower-class races, winning 12 per cent of its starts (2 from 17) in Class 6 company, the kind of races where the gaps between horses are smallest and a sound, consistent performer has a fighting chance. Rose Dawes has been the regular pilot, steering Cherry Cola in 23 races and landing two wins together, which speaks to a working partnership in racing — not spectacular, but reliable.

Trained by Sheena West at Lewes in West Sussex, Cherry Cola remains an active part of the yard's plans. Recent form reads like a record of a horse trying hard but coming up just short: a sixth, eighth, fifth, sixth, third, and fourth in the last six races. There is no dramatic collapse here, just the steady pattern of a ten-year-old horse that still competes but no longer wins. For the yard content with a workhorse that shows up, tries, and occasionally threatens to place, Cherry Cola serves its purpose. For those dreaming of another trip to the winner's circle, it has been a very long wait indeed.