Saint Polo

The first win came at Stratford-on-Avon on 16 June, and then, just seven days later, Saint Polo followed up at Newton Abbot. Back-to-back wins in a week suggests a horse that has found its feet rather than a horse that got lucky once. Something has clicked — whether that is the ground, the distance, the competition level, or simply a horse coming into its best — and right now Saint Polo is in the form of its life.

That said, there are a couple of puzzles worth noting. The horse's most regular rider, Ian Power, has partnered Saint Polo eight times without managing a single win together. That is a striking number — 0 from 8 — and it raises the question of whether the two recent victories came with a different jockey in the saddle. At the same time, Saint Polo has run four times at Class 4 level, which sits in the middle tier of British racing, and has yet to win at that grade. Both career wins have come elsewhere on the card, which suggests the horse may find its best level slightly below the most competitive races at that class.

The yard behind all of this is trained by J Candlish, based in Basford, Staffordshire, and it has been a productive season — 64 winners sent out so far. A trainer running at that volume knows how to place a horse well, and the rapid back-to-back wins suggest Saint Polo has been placed with real care. Racing again just yesterday, this is a horse in the thick of an active campaign. Whether the winning streak continues is the obvious question, but anyone watching the results boards in the next few weeks would do well to keep an eye on the name.