Fleur De Mer

Her last win came at Newcastle in September 2023, now 35 months ago, which is a long time in racing. Before that she had broken her duck at Wolverhampton in July of the same year, so both victories arrived in a brief purple patch during the summer of 2023 — and nothing since. Her recent form reads 3-3-2-3-6-4 (going from oldest to newest), which shows she is finishing in the money fairly often without threatening the front. The second place is the tantalising one — so close, yet still no cigar.

Where she does show a genuine spark is at a mile to a mile and a quarter on normal ground. At that trip she has won 1 from 4 races, a 25% win rate, which is a meaningful signal in a horse whose overall record is 7%. On her preferred ground she wins roughly 1 in every 8 races — not world-beating, but a clear step up from her usual level. Trainer Martin Todhunter, based up in Cumbria, has sent out nine winners this season so the yard is ticking over nicely, even if Fleur De Mer herself has not added to that tally.

Jockey Mark Winn has been aboard seven times without a win together, which is one of those partnerships that keeps getting another chance without quite delivering. She raced just yesterday, so the yard — the team around her — clearly still believe there is another win in her somewhere. Whether that belief is well-placed after a near three-year drought is the question every race asks all over again.