Sharma d'Amour

The horse is trained by Denis Coakley, whose yard at West Ilsley in Berkshire has sent out 10 winners this season — a healthy return that shows the operation knows how to get horses fit and ready. Sharma d'Amour's regular partner in the saddle is jockey George Bass, and between them they have managed 1 win from 6 races together, a win rate of around 1 in 6. That's actually a more encouraging number than the overall career record suggests, hinting that the combination suits the horse.

What makes the picture slightly puzzling is the level at which Sharma d'Amour typically competes. Class 5 is one of the lower tiers of British racing — these are races designed to give horses exactly like this one a fair opportunity to win. And yet across 5 races at that level, the record reads zero wins from five attempts. That is a striking blank, because if a horse is going to win anywhere, Class 5 is supposed to be where it happens. The Lingfield win in April came as something of an exception to an otherwise frustrating pattern, and the challenge for the team now is figuring out how to repeat it.

Having raced just two days ago, Sharma d'Amour is clearly in a busy spell of the season. Whether a quick turnaround helps or hinders remains to be seen, but Denis Coakley's yard is in decent form and will be hoping this horse can rediscover something close to its best. Lingfield Park — the track that provided that one moment of glory — might well be worth circling on the calendar.