Praise Indeed

The form figures tell an honest story: 2-7-8-6-11. That second place is clearly the highlight, but the trend since then has been one of drifting further back in the field, culminating in an eleventh-place finish. At the level Praise Indeed typically competes at — the fifth tier of British racing, where the fields are large and the competition is more open than at the top end — winning ought to be achievable. But zero wins from three races at that level suggests the horse is yet to put its best foot forward at the right moment.

The yard behind it, run by William Muir and Chris Grassick out of Lambourn in Berkshire, is no backwater operation. They have sent out 20 winners already this season, which means they clearly know how to get horses ready to win. Lambourn itself is one of Britain's most storied training villages, home to dozens of stables on the Berkshire Downs. The fact that a yard of this calibre keeps running Praise Indeed suggests they believe there is a performance in this horse waiting to come out. Whether it arrives soon is the question.