Spirit Above

That said, the recent form does show some flickers of encouragement. A second-place finish sits in the last six runs, and the most recent outing — just yesterday — produced a fourth, which at least suggests Spirit Above is finding its way into the mix more consistently. Compare that to the 12th and 13th-place finishes also in that sequence and you can see a horse that blows hot and cold, capable of running well one day and disappearing into the pack the next.

Kevin Michael Smith's yard has sent out 5 winners already this season, so the operation knows how to get a horse ready to perform. Whether Spirit Above can finally break that duck and turn a placing into a victory remains to be seen, but at just 3 years old, there is still plenty of time for the penny to drop.