Queen Of Newark

What makes her recent form worth a second look is the pair of back-to-back wins marked in her last six runs — though on closer inspection, those figures represent finishing positions, not victories, meaning she has finished first on two occasions in that sequence while also posting some disappointing efforts elsewhere. She raced just a day ago, so she is clearly being kept busy and is very much in the thick of her season right now.

She is trained by Matthew J Smith at his yard in Kilmessan, County Meath, a stable that has sent out eight winners this season — a solid enough tally that suggests the operation knows how to get horses to the winner's enclosure. The fact that Queen Of Newark hasn't joined that list yet is notable, but a busy campaign at three years old often means a trainer is working through a puzzle, trying to find the right race at the right moment. Whether that breakthrough comes soon is the question her supporters will be hoping gets answered.