Dancing Dame

The most recent form gives a mixed picture. A second-place finish two runs ago is the obvious highlight, sandwiched between a fifth and then a sixth, before things faded further back in the three races before that. Racing just yesterday, Dancing Dame is clearly a horse being kept busy and in good shape — and that second place suggests it is not far away from being competitive when things fall right.

The partnership with Mr D Doyle is the one number that raises an eyebrow. Ten races together, zero wins — that is a long run without reward for a jockey-and-horse combination. To be fair, the horse has not won for anyone, but ten attempts from the same rider without a breakthrough is the kind of statistic that starts conversations in the parade ring. It does not necessarily mean the partnership is wrong — sometimes a horse just needs luck to go its way — but it is worth noting.

What gives the whole picture a more positive frame is the yard behind it. James Owen is based at Newmarket, the heartland of British flat racing, and has sent out 205 winners this season alone. That is a serious operation. Trainers running at that kind of volume do not keep horses in work for sentiment — if Dancing Dame is still racing, it is because the team believes there is a race to be won somewhere. The question is simply when.