Ski Lodge

That Haydock win is now 16 months in the rear-view mirror, and the recent form makes for interesting reading. In the last six races, Ski Lodge has finished second three times and fourth once, with two runs where it didn't complete. That's a horse who is consistently competitive — turning up, doing its job, hitting the board — but just not quite getting its head in front when it matters. Three runner-up finishes in recent form is the kind of record that suggests the ability is still there; the question is whether the winning instinct has gone quiet.

At the level Ski Lodge typically competes at — essentially the bread-and-butter tier of the sport — it has an impressive record of 2 wins from 6 races, which works out at roughly 1 in every 3. That's a strong ratio, and it suggests this is a horse operating right at the ceiling of its comfort zone. Step up in class and the margins tighten; stay here, and Ski Lodge is genuinely capable on its best day.

Tom Bellamy has been the regular partner, riding Ski Lodge in 7 of its 10 races and winning once together — so they've clicked about 1 time in 7, which is modest but reflects the horse's overall profile rather than any specific incompatibility. Alan King's yard is in fine form this season with 56 winners already sent out, so the team is firing. That context makes the wait for win number three feel more like a matter of when than if — provided Ski Lodge can just get its nose in front of those placed efforts it keeps producing.