Emperor Dream

What makes Emperor Dream's situation particularly unusual is the absence from racing. It has been over a year — roughly 370 days — since this horse last set foot on a track. That's a long time out, and while we don't know the reason, a gap that long at this stage of a career raises questions that only a return to racing can answer.

The horse runs at the lowest level of competition — Class 6, which is essentially the entry point of British racing, where horses who haven't shown much yet get the chance to find their feet. Even there, Emperor Dream has drawn a blank in all three attempts. Trainer Daniel Steele, based in Henfield in West Sussex, has managed four winners from his yard this season, so the operation clearly knows how to get a horse to the winner's enclosure. Whether Emperor Dream can be one of them remains to be seen. A first win would be a long time coming — but every horse that has ever won a race was winless once.