Mistral Milly

The recent form does at least show some flickers of life. Across her last six races, she has picked up a pair of fourth-place finishes, which suggests she is not disgracing herself — just not quite finding that extra gear when it matters. Jockey Tom Bellamy has been the one to try to unlock something from her most often, partnering her in six of those races, but the pair are yet to trouble the winner's enclosure together. That is not necessarily a criticism of either horse or rider — sometimes a combination simply hasn't clicked yet — but six attempts without a win is a long enough run to raise questions.

Mistral Milly operates mainly at Class 4 level, which sits in the lower-middle tier of British racing. It is the kind of company where a horse with genuine ability should be competitive, which makes her blank win record at that level — zero from six — harder to explain away. She is not being asked to beat the very best; she just hasn't been able to beat the field in front of her. At seven, with her career in its later stages, the window for a breakthrough is narrowing. Still, she raced just yesterday, so the yard — the team around her — clearly believe there is something worth persisting with. Whether that faith pays off is another matter entirely.