Jollie Dame

The recent form tells an interesting story. Reading the last six results from newest to oldest — 4th, 3rd, 3rd, 3rd, 4th, 2nd — you can see a horse that is almost always in the conversation but fading slightly in the final stages. That second place in the oldest of those six runs hints that the ability is there; the challenge now is finding conditions or a race where she can turn one of those near-misses into a victory.

At five years old, she is not short of time, and she could hardly be in better hands. Dan Skelton's yard in Alcester, Warwickshire, has sent out 194 winners already this season — a figure that puts them firmly among the most powerful operations in British racing. A stable that wins at that volume has serious resources, serious horsepower, and serious patience. The fact that they are still running Jollie Dame suggests they believe there is a win in her somewhere. When a yard of that calibre keeps backing a horse, it is worth paying attention.

She raced just yesterday, so she is very much in the thick of her season right now. Whether she finally breaks through or remains one of racing's nearly horses, Jollie Dame is the kind of runner that keeps the yard — and followers — quietly hopeful every time the tape goes up.