Folk Pageant

The horse broke its duck at Lingfield Park back in early March, then went on to win at Epsom Downs on 6 June. That Epsom victory was the last time Folk Pageant found the winner's enclosure, now eight weeks ago. Since then it has run five times without a win, though two of those efforts produced places. The form line reads 6-5-6-13-1-1 in reverse order, which shows a horse that had momentum building over the spring and early summer but has since hit a patch where it cannot quite get over the line. It raced just yesterday, so the horse is clearly being kept active and ready, even while the winning touch has temporarily deserted it.

Trained by Charlie Johnston at Middleham Moor in North Yorkshire, Folk Pageant is part of a yard that has saddled 131 winners already this season — a operation clearly thriving. Johnston clearly believes in the horse enough to keep it racing regularly, which suggests there is more to come. For a three-year-old with this level of ability, a couple of quiet months are no cause for alarm. The winning form is there in the record, proven at top tracks like Epsom, and Folk Pageant has every chance to rediscover that touch.