Recent form tells a more difficult story. Her last six runs have produced a string of mid-pack finishes — positions of 7th, 6th, and three 8th-place efforts — suggesting she is finding it tough to get into contention at the moment. She raced just yesterday, so she is clearly a horse in active training rather than one being nursed along gently between long breaks.
Her regular partnership is with jockey Sam Feilden, who has ridden her five times without a win together. That is not unusual — plenty of horse-and-rider combinations take time to click — but it does mean they are both still searching for their first success as a team. She competes at Class 5, which is the entry level of British racing, and has gone 0 from 6 at that level. It is worth noting that Class 5 is where most horses find their wins if they are going to find them at all, so the fact that it has not happened yet does raise genuine questions about whether a win is coming.
The yard behind her is Stow-on-the-Wold-based David Killahena and Graeme McPherson, a team that has sent out 17 winners this season — so this is not a stable struggling to produce results. They clearly know how to win races. Nala The Lioness just has not been the horse to deliver one for them yet. At six years old, time is not entirely on her side, but she is fit, active, and in the hands of a yard capable of finding the right opportunity. Whether that opportunity comes remains the interesting question.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolverhampton Galloping |
4 | 4 other | 4 Apr | 0% |
| Southwell Galloping |
4 | 1 second, 3 other | 28 Feb | 0% |
| Newcastle Galloping |
3 | 2 seconds, 1 other | 3 Dec | 0% |
| Aintree Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 11 Apr | 0% |
| Ascot Galloping |
1 | 1 second | 17 Feb | 0% |