Hellcat

That said, Hellcat does have two places to its name from five races, which at least shows it has threatened on occasion. The question is whether those early thirds were a sign of things to come or just the benefit of easier early tests. At three years old, there is still time — horses this age are genuinely still maturing, and it's not unusual for one to look lost mid-season before clicking into gear later on.

Ross Burdon trains Hellcat out of Newmarket, which is about as central to British racing as it gets — a town built around the sport, where serious yards and serious horses are the norm. Burdon's team has sent out 12 winners this season, which shows the yard knows how to get horses ready to win. The job now is finding the right race to get Hellcat off the mark, and with the horse having raced as recently as yesterday, the yard are clearly keeping it busy and looking for an opening. Whether that opportunity arrives soon remains to be seen.