Northern Rose

The telling detail is how rarely Northern Rose actually wins. At 3 per cent, that win rate means the horse succeeds roughly once every 33 races — a level that puts it firmly among the lower tier of the sport. Things get worse when you look at the classes it typically competes in. In the lower-grade Class 5 races where it runs most often, Northern Rose has never won at all, notching up zero victories from 21 attempts. Even when stepped up to races over the longer distances it slightly prefers — 1m6f to 2m — it has won just once from 15 races, a 7 per cent return that still doesn't suggest a horse capable of dominating at any level.

Jack Hogan, the jockey who rides Northern Rose most regularly, has partnered with the horse 11 times without a single win, though the recent form does show some life. In its last six races, most recent first, Northern Rose has been fourth, third, seventh, first, and second — a streak that includes that sole career win and two placings, suggesting the horse does occasionally find its moment. Trained by Gary Hanmer at Tattenhall in Cheshire, a yard with 19 winners to its name this season, Northern Rose remains active on the track. Whether it will ever add a second win to its total remains an open question, but on the evidence so far, the horse is a persistent battler rather than a race-winning prospect.