Skirt Around

What works in Skirt Around's favour is the trainer in the corner. Philip Kirby's yard at East Appleton in North Yorkshire has been in fine form this season, sending out 36 winners — that's a team that clearly knows how to get a horse ready to perform. A yard firing at that kind of volume tends to be patient and methodical with younger horses, and at three years old, Skirt Around has time on its side. The fact that the horse raced just yesterday and remains active suggests the team sees enough promise to keep pressing.

The third place is the one number worth holding onto here. In a racing record that hasn't yet produced a win, a podium finish is a hint that the engine is there — it just hasn't quite fired at the right moment. Whether that moment comes soon is the open question, but with a busy yard behind it and youth on its side, the story isn't over yet.