Fighting Queen

The Bath win came over a distance of between a mile and a mile and two furlongs, which is where she consistently shows her best form. In eight races at that sort of trip, she has won once — around 1 in every 8 attempts — which at least suggests the yard knows what suits her. Class 6 is where she almost always competes, which is the entry-level tier of British racing, and her record there is one win from nine races. It is honest, unglamorous work, but it tells you she is a consistent participant at that level rather than a horse who has slipped down from better days.

Rob Hornby rides her most often, and their partnership has produced that sole win from five races together — a win rate of 20%, or 1 in 5, which is actually the most encouraging number in her profile. When Hornby is in the saddle, she seems to show up. Joe Ponting trains her from his yard in Wotton-Under-Edge in Gloucestershire, a small operation that has sent out three winners this season. It is not a powerhouse yard, but it is a functioning one, and the fact that Fighting Queen accounts for one of those wins this season speaks to the effort being put in on her behalf.

Her recent run of form — finishing eleventh and fourteenth in her last two outings — does little to inspire confidence in the short term. But horses at this level are often running to stay fit and find their rhythm rather than chasing glory, and with a jockey who clearly knows her and a track where she has already won, the ingredients for another moment in the sun are at least present.