Cuban Girl

The most telling number in her record is at 7 furlongs to a mile, where she has won 1 of her 5 races at that distance — a 20% win rate, or 1 in every 5. That is a meaningful improvement on her overall record and suggests she has a genuine preference. Get the trip right, and she becomes a different proposition. She typically runs at Class 5 level, which is the bread-and-butter end of British racing, and has won 1 of her 7 races at that level — about 1 in 7. Not earth-shattering, but competitive.

Her recent form reads 5-2-10-9-7-2, which tells a story of inconsistency — a pair of runner-up finishes sandwiching some disappointing efforts in the middle. She has not won in her last 6 races, and given that her only victory came over 13 months ago, there is clearly something to work out. But she raced just yesterday, which means she is fit, active, and clearly being kept busy by trainer Brian Toomey.

Toomey operates out of Chalfont St Giles in Buckinghamshire and has sent out 10 winners this season, which suggests a yard in decent nick. A trainer prepared to keep running a horse this regularly tends to believe there is a race to be won somewhere. With Cuban Girl showing her best form at the right trip and having placed four times in her career, the pieces are there — it is just a question of when they come together.