What makes her interesting, though, is the context Dan Skelton has provided. The Alcester trainer is one of the most prolific in the country right now — 198 winners this season is a genuinely extraordinary number, roughly one winner every day and a half — and he bought Laffer Curve specifically because he saw something worth pursuing. She had finished fourth at Ascot before the yard acquired her, which is a decent enough calling card, and Skelton describes her as big, strong, and scopey — trainer-speak for a horse that looks like she has plenty of physical ability still to grow into.
The prize Skelton has his eye on is the GBB bonus, a scheme that pays out a significant cash reward to horses that win a race while being eligible for the programme. It adds a real financial incentive on top of the sporting one, and it explains why the team are keen to find the right opportunity rather than simply running her for the sake of it. The plan, in Skelton's own words, is to get a few quid in the pot for the team — a refreshingly straightforward way of putting it.
At five years old, she is not short of time, and a yard firing out winners at the rate Skelton's is will find the right opportunity eventually. The question is whether Laffer Curve — who has been close enough to smell it on several occasions — can finally convert promise into a result when that moment arrives.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wetherby Galloping |
2 | 2 other | 26 Dec | 0% |
| Worcester Galloping |
1 | 1 second | 6 Jun | 0% |
| Stratford-on-Avon Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 12 Jul | 0% |
| Ascot Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 15 Feb | 0% |
| Huntingdon Galloping |
1 | 1 third | 11 Mar | 0% |
| Newton Abbot Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 14 Apr | 0% |
| Sedgefield Sharp |
1 | 1 third | 25 Jan | 0% |
| Hexham Undulating |
1 | 1 other | 21 Jun | 0% |