Mary Stanford

She operates at Class 4 level, which sits in the middle tier of British racing — not the glamour end, but genuinely competitive racing against horses at a similar stage. Her record there reads zero wins from four races, so the level has consistently found her out, though that single placed effort suggests the gap between her and the winner is not always enormous.

What gives the story some reason for optimism is who is looking after her. Patrick Neville's yard in Coverham, North Yorkshire has sent out 27 winners already this season — a yard in form, clearly doing something right. Having a trainer operating with that kind of momentum is no small thing. Horses trained at a yard firing on all cylinders tend to show up in better condition, and Neville's numbers suggest he knows how to find the right race for the right horse. Mary Stanford is still racing — her last run was just days ago — so the team clearly believes there is a win in her somewhere. Whether they are right remains to be seen.