Ecureuil Secret

The concern is what has happened since. Ecureuil Secret last raced just a day ago and, looking at the most recent six runs, the form reads 4-3-10-1-3-3. That tenth-place finish stands out like a sore thumb in an otherwise steady pattern of placing efforts. The horse has not won in 16 months — a long drought for a five-year-old still capable of beating quality opposition. Three places in the last four runs suggest the horse is still competitive and has not lost its way entirely, but something is missing. Whether that is a physical issue, a change in circumstance, or simply the cruel mathematics of racing (where even good horses go through spells of bad luck), only time will tell.

The horse is trained by Richard and Peter Fahey at Musley Bank in North Yorkshire, a yard that sent out 23 winners already this season, so there is no shortage of expertise or support. If Ecureuil Secret can rediscover the form that brought that Class 2 win, it will be worth watching closely. For now, it is a horse waiting to remind people what it can do.