Forest Hills

The awkward truth, though, is that win came 20 months ago and nothing has come close since. The last six races read 3rd, 2nd, 5th, 7th, 15th, 7th — a brief flicker of promise in those placed efforts, but nothing that has translated into the winner's enclosure. The 15th-place finish buried somewhere in that sequence is the kind of run that raises questions, and the overall picture is of a horse that competes honestly enough without ever quite getting the job done.

There is also a quirk worth noting: Forest Hills has raced seven times at Class 5 level — the lower end of the British racing ladder — and has not won once. That is 0 from 7 at the grade where the horse would theoretically find easiest pickings. Trainer Carroll Gray has had just one winner on the board this season, so this is a yard operating quietly rather than in a blaze of form. The short break of 37 days since the last run might be a straightforward freshener, or it might signal that the yard — sorry, that the team — are plotting a slightly different approach.

What makes Forest Hills mildly fascinating rather than just frustrating is that the Salisbury win showed genuine ability at the right distance. The potential is there on paper. Whether that August afternoon in 2024 was a glimpse of what the horse can be, or simply a one-off that keeps the dream alive, is the question Forest Hills has been failing to answer ever since.