Dark Sun

The real story is in her recent run. Dark Sun has picked up two wins in her last six races, most recently at Brighton on 24 August, just three weeks ago. Before that she won at Bath back in June. Those two victories are her entire career tally, which means she is genuinely hot by her own standards right now. Her last six races read 12-1-4-3-4-1 — a third, a win, two mid-field finishes, and most recently a 12th place just yesterday. So she is actively racing and showing some life, even if yesterday's result was a dud. That 12th, sandwiched between two placings, is the kind of day every horse has.

What stands out unfavourably is his record with his regular jockey, Laura Coughlan. They have teamed up 15 times and managed zero wins together — she draws blanks every single time they pair up, which is a brutal statistic. It is hard to know whether Dark Sun simply runs differently with different riders, or whether they are just not the right match. Either way, when she has her winning days, she is not in the saddle.

She also struggles in the slightly better company. At the higher class level (Class 6 races), she has won nothing from eight attempts, suggesting that Dark Sun knows her place in the pecking order. She belongs in the bottom tier, where her two wins have come. She is a horse for the patient punter chasing value rather than the favourite-backer, but she is live enough right now to bear watching.