Edna E Mode

The recent form makes for mixed reading. Looking at the last six races in reverse order, she was fourth, then eighth, then tenth, then third, seventh, and most recently third again. That latest third place, recorded just yesterday, suggests she's running into some form at the right time — but the mid-sequence results, including that tenth, are a reminder that consistency has been the missing ingredient throughout her career.

Most of Edna E Mode's racing has come at Class 5 level, which sits towards the lower end of the racing ladder — essentially the races where horses of modest ability compete against one another. She has run eight times at that level without winning, which is where the frustration really sets in. These are the races she is expected to be competitive in, and a win has still not materialised. That said, a place record of four from 18 overall shows she is not simply making up the numbers.

She runs out of Robert Stephens' yard in Caldicot, Monmouthshire, a small operation that has quietly sent out 11 winners this season — no small achievement for a yard of that size. Stephens clearly knows how to get horses winning, which makes Edna E Mode something of an unfinished project. With the horse still active and apparently in decent nick based on that recent placed effort, there is every reason to think the yard — the trainer and team — will keep looking for the right race to finally get her off the mark. Whether that day comes is another question entirely.