Prairie Queen

What makes that sequence interesting is that finishing second or third every week is not nothing. Most horses at this level are simply outclassed and finish down the field. Prairie Queen is competitive — she just can't convert. Whether that is a matter of confidence, timing, or simply being a horse who finds a way to be beaten, her regular jockey Sean Houlihan knows the feeling well. In 11 races together, the pair have not managed a win between them, though to be fair that reflects the horse's overall record rather than any particular failing from the saddle.

She races mainly in Class 5, the entry-level tier of British racing, and has tried 13 times at that level without success. That is a significant detail. Class 5 is where horses go when they need to find a winnable race, and the fact that Prairie Queen hasn't cracked it there yet suggests the win, when it comes, may need everything to fall perfectly in her favour. Trainer Sue Gardner, based in Devon, has sent out seven winners from her yard this season, so she clearly knows how to get a horse to the line first — Prairie Queen simply hasn't been among them yet.

She raced just yesterday, which tells you she is healthy and active. At six years old, she is in the prime of her career, and there is no obvious reason to think the win cannot come. The stat that will keep her the yard hopeful is simply this: she places. A horse that places is a horse that competes, and a horse that competes is a horse that might, on the right day, just hold on for the win. Prairie Queen has not had that day yet, but she is doing everything short of it.