Hostelry

Her most recent outing came just yesterday, and she finished fourth — not a win, but respectable. Over her last six races she has had a couple of placed efforts and one win, suggesting she is still capable of finding the frame. The win came six weeks ago at Ayr on 10 August, a track where she has found real success. From just five races at Ayr, she has won twice, a win rate of 40 percent — far better than her career average. She clearly loves that course.

Ruth Carr, her trainer at Stillington in North Yorkshire, describes her as "very genuine and straightforward" — no drama, no excuses. Carr has had an excellent season with 56 winners from the yard so far. Kaiya Fraser, her main jockey, has partnered Hostelry in 18 races and won five of them together, a 28 percent win rate that is significantly better than the horse's overall figures. That partnership clearly works. Hostelry also has a clear preference for slightly soft ground, winning 3 of 9 races (33 percent) when conditions are a bit heavy. She tends to run best in Class 6 company, where she has won 8 from 33 races (24 percent). Last year brought five wins, but Carr has noted that horses sometimes find the going tougher in the year following a successful campaign — perhaps simply because ratings creep up. Still, at her level and with her dependable nature, Hostelry will keep finding opportunities.