Indy's Angel

The problem is what has happened since. The last six races have produced finishing positions of 6th, 6th, 6th, 4th, 6th, and 10th — a run of form that tells a pretty straightforward story. Nothing has clicked, and the most recent effort, that 10th-place finish, is the kind of result that sends a horse away for a rethink. That break has now stretched to roughly five months, which is a long time out. Whether the rest has done some good remains to be seen.

The yard behind the horse is Philip Kirby's operation in North Yorkshire, which has been in decent shape this season with 31 winners sent out. That suggests the team knows what it is doing — Indys Angel just hasn't been delivering its share. Aiden Brookes, who has ridden this horse more than anyone else, has a record of 1 win from 7 rides together, which works out at roughly 1 in 7 — not electric, but the pair do share that Newcastle win. Most of Indys Angel's races have come at Class 6, the entry-level tier of British racing, and even there the win rate is just 1 from 9. At this level, you would hope for more, but sometimes a horse simply takes time to find its feet, and the long break means the next run will tell us a lot about where things stand.