The worrying part is the five-month gap since that April victory. Recent form reads 10-17-12-1-4-8, meaning she finished tenth, then seventeenth, then twelfth — a run that would concern any owner — before bouncing back with that fourth place just days apart, followed by an eighth. She raced just 1 day ago, so she is clearly active and her trainer Noel C. Kelly, based at Draperstown in County Derry, is working hard to find the right opportunity. Kelly's yard has sent out 14 winners already this season, so there is competence there, even if Queen Leila herself has been a work in progress.
At 3 years old with only one win from 13 races, she sits near the bottom of the pecking order and will be running in lower-grade company. The real test will be whether Kelly can get her back to conditions that suit — that 1m1f to 1m2f sweet spot where her record shines. One win in five months is not a stride of momentum, but one win at all, at her level, means she is capable. The question now is whether she can rediscover that April form before frustration sets in.
| Course | Races | Results | Last run | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dundalk Galloping |
9 | 1 win, 1 second, 7 other | 25 Sep | 11.1% |
| Musselburgh Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 8 Aug | 0% |
| Southwell Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 13 Jul | 0% |
| Navan Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 5 Sep | 0% |
| Thirsk Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 17 Jun | 0% |