Princess Honey Bee

The numbers tell a story of a horse still finding her feet. From eight races she has won once and placed five times, a win rate of roughly 1 in 8 that understates how much she competes. Strip away the noise and focus on races between 1 mile 1 furlong and 1 mile 2 furlongs — her sweet spot — and her record improves sharply to 1 win from 4 attempts, a 25 percent win rate that suggests this is where she belongs. Trainer Craig Lidster, based in Norton, North Yorkshire, runs a yard that has sent out 20 winners this season, so he knows how to get horses to the line. The fact that Princess Honey Bee waited eight races for her first win is not unusual for a young horse still learning her trade, and the Lingfield success suggests she has found a level where she can compete. Recent form shows her finishing in the money more often than not — a fourth last time out, but before that two consecutive seconds and another fourth, meaning she is a regular placer even when not winning. For a three-year-old at this stage of her career, consistency in the placings is often the platform from which bigger things grow.