Hey Havana

The recent form reads 5-2-5-2-3-4, which is a bit of a rollercoaster. Two runner-up finishes in that sequence show Hey Havana can get close, but the fifth-place efforts on either side of them are a reminder that consistency remains elusive. The horse raced just yesterday and is clearly being kept busy, which suggests the team believe there is a race to be won somewhere on the horizon before the season closes.

Geoffrey Harker, who trains out of Thirkleby in North Yorkshire and has sent out five winners already this season, is philosophical but patient about the whole thing. He was encouraged enough by a recent fourth-place finish at Redcar to suggest another run could come soon, and he is clear-eyed about where things stand — the penny hasn't fully dropped yet, in his view, but he believes Hey Havana will be a better horse next year as it matures. That kind of honest assessment from a trainer is actually a decent sign. It means they still believe in the horse; they're just waiting for it to find its best form. Nine races without a win at three years old is not unusual — some horses simply need time to work out what is being asked of them, and a first win can sometimes unlock something. Whether that happens before the season ends remains to be seen.