Leitzel

The bright spot in her record is distance and class. Over a mile to a mile and a quarter, she has dominated: winning two of three races at that trip, a rate of two in three that stands out sharply against her overall form. Similarly, when stepped up to Class 4 races (mid-level company), she has won half her starts at that level. The puzzle is Haydock Park itself, where she was supposed to flourish. She won twice there in 2022 from just four races, but hasn't tasted victory at the track for four years. Her recent form reads as a string of narrow misses — fifth, third, tenth, tenth, seventh, tenth — the kind of record that speaks to a horse capable of running into a place but rarely finishing the job.

Trainer S McParlan, based in Newry, has noted that Leitzel was troubled by softer ground and a drop in trip, and has suggested stepping her back up in distance as the path forward. It's the kind of remark that hints at a horse who knows her job on a good day but has yet to string together the consistency — or the luck — to rebuild on those two early wins. At six years old, time is hardly racing against her, but the years since 2022 suggest the form that made her interesting back then may be difficult to recover.