Superposition

The numbers tell a story of grit rather than brilliance. Three wins from 21 races is a 14 per cent win rate — he wins roughly once every seven attempts — but the shape of his recent form offers real encouragement. In his last six races, he has finished in the placings four times, including wins and a third-place finish. He has never managed to win at the higher Class 2 level, where he has run six times without success, but Dunlop is confident the handicap route suits him better. The trainer has spoken of a considerable amount of talent that got lost along the way, and attributes the turnaround partly to a wind operation and gelding the horse last year. Now, Dunlop reckons Superposition looks a little bit quicker and sounder than before.

The real endorsement came after that Newmarket win. Dunlop trains Sterling Knight, another talented sort, and works the two together — a sure sign he rates Superposition highly. The trainer even mentioned the possibility of stepping up to the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, one of the summer's prestigious races. That kind of ambition suggests Dunlop genuinely believes this horse is on an upward curve. Superposition raced just yesterday and is back in action at Pontefract on Wednesday, so his career is very much on the move right now.