Princesse Milania

What makes her record particularly tricky to read is that she has placed eight times overall, which means she is regularly running well enough to finish second or third — just not quite getting over the line. Her recent form of 2-2-3-8-3 tells that story clearly: competitive more often than not, but seemingly content to be bridesmaid. That last run, a finish of eight, stands out as a genuine off-day in an otherwise consistent recent spell.

The class question is interesting too. Princesse Milania has been pitched into Class 4 races seven times and has not won any of them — zero from seven. That is not a disaster; Class 4 is a competitive level and plenty of decent horses take time to break through, but it does suggest the yard may need to find the right spot to unlock another victory.

She is trained by Mark Walford at Sheriff Hutton in North Yorkshire, and this has been a productive season for his yard — 35 winners sent out is a healthy tally and signals a yard in form. Her regular partner in the saddle is Jamie Hamilton, who has ridden her in six of her 14 races and won once together, a win rate of around 1 in 6 between them. That is a workable partnership, even if it has not sparked anything recently. For anyone watching her, the hope is that the combination of a trainer firing on all cylinders and a horse who clearly knows how to place herself in a race eventually adds up to another win. The pieces are there — she just needs to put them together at the right moment.