Sovereign Banter

The form over his last six races reads 11-12–-2-4-8: not catastrophic, but no great shakes either — a couple of places among mostly mid-field efforts. Jimmy Dalton, who rides him most often, has been aboard for 11 races and managed one win together, a 9% return that suggests a decent partnership but hardly a match made in heaven. Andrew Slattery's Thurles yard has saddled 62 winners this season, so there is experience there, but Sovereign Banter seems to need the ground and the distance to fall just right. He runs best over 5 furlongs to 6½ furlongs — shorter, sharper races — where he has won 1 of 14 attempts. It is a small edge, but it is the only one he has got. With no victory in nine months and a win rate of just 4%, Sovereign Banter is a horse whose talent, whatever it is, has yet to translate into consistent success on the track.