Loquella

Her last six races tell a story of inconsistency. She ran seventh most recently, then fifth before that, followed by a sixth, a second-place finish, and her winning run. That second-place finish came during this recent stretch, and while any racehorse has days when things don't click, the gap of eight months since her last victory is the real concern. She was raced actively through spring and early summer but has not managed to convert opportunities into wins during that time. The silver lining is that she is still being campaigned by trainer Charlie Johnston, a powerful Middleham yard that has sent out 131 winners this season alone — the kind of stable with the resources and expertise to work out why a horse has gone quiet and how to spark her back to form.

At three years old, Loquella still has runway ahead of her. The key will be getting her back into races at 5 to 6½ furlongs on ground that suits, rather than testing her beyond her distance. When conditions align with what this horse does best, she has shown she can win. Right now, it is about rediscovering that form.