Clever Relation

Both wins are worth noting individually. The first came at Windsor in April 2023, and the second — and most recent — at Goodwood in August 2024. Goodwood is one of the most technically demanding tracks in Britain, a rolling, undulating course on the Sussex Downs that sorts out horses quickly, so winning there is no small thing. That said, it was nearly 19 months ago now, which is a long time in racing.

The recent form figures — a blank, then finishes of 8th, 8th, 11th — are hard to put a positive spin on. After the Goodwood win, Clever Relation essentially stopped producing. And now the horse has been off the track for 395 days, just over 13 months, which raises obvious questions. Long absences can mean many things, but they always require a horse to prove itself all over again on return.

There is also a puzzle buried in the record. Clever Relation has raced six times at Class 4 level — which represents a decent but not elite standard of British racing — and has not won once. Yet somehow managed to win at Goodwood. The horse appears to raise its game on the big occasion and go flat at the routine level, which is an unusual but not unheard-of trait.

Trainer Sheila Lewis has sent out five winners this season, so the yard is in form. If Lewis can find a race around the mile-and-four distance and Clever Relation comes back from this lengthy break in good shape, the 50% record at that trip is the one statistic worth holding onto. Everything else says inconsistency — but that one number says there might still be a race to be won here.