Indy's Angel

The recent picture is particularly bleak. In the last six races, Indy's Angel has been nowhere near the money—finishing eleventh, third, seventh, second, second, and eleventh again. Those two second-place finishes offer a glimmer that the horse can still compete, but the eleventh places suggest it is regularly outclassed. Most of the time it races in Class 6 company, the lower rung of British racing, and even there it has won just 1 from 9 races, a win rate of 11 percent. The jockey it rides with most often is Aiden Brookes, and together they have recorded 1 win from 8 races—fractionally better than the overall picture, but only just.

Philip Kirby's yard has sent out 36 winners this season, so there is clearly talent in the operation, but Indy's Angel appears to be the kind of horse that simply does not have the speed or class to make it anywhere near the winner's circle again. It raced just a day ago and remains active, which suggests its the yard have not given up hope. But with nearly two years since that sole victory and a long sequence of unplaced runs in recent weeks, the clock is ticking for this one to find another winning opportunity.