What makes her situation particularly striking is where she competes. Class 6 is the lowest tier of British racing, home to horses who have struggled to win at any higher level. Sweet Cicely has run 14 times at that level and is yet to win a single one. That is not a reflection of bad luck or near-misses — she simply hasn't found a race she can dominate, even at the bottom rung of the ladder.
Jockey Oisin Orr has had five attempts to find the winning formula with her, and the pair are yet to trouble the judge together. That said, the trainer M E Sowersby, based up in Little Barugh in North Yorkshire, is clearly a yard in decent form — eight winners already this season shows the operation knows how to get horses ready to win. Sweet Cicely, for now, just isn't one of them.
She raced as recently as yesterday, which tells you she's fit and being kept busy. Sometimes horses like this find their moment out of nowhere — a softer field, a track that suits, a day when everything clicks. Whether Sweet Cicely has that day in her remains to be seen. For now, she remains one of racing's honest, hard-working puzzles: a horse who keeps turning up, keeps trying, and keeps leaving her the yard wondering what it will take.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle Galloping |
6 | 1 third, 5 other | 15 Feb | 0% |
| Beverley Undulating |
4 | 4 other | 23 Jun | 0% |
| Ripon Sharp |
4 | 4 other | 25 Aug | 0% |
| Wolverhampton Galloping |
3 | 1 second, 2 other | 21 Apr | 0% |
| Southwell Galloping |
2 | 2 other | 15 Feb | 0% |
| Pontefract Undulating |
1 | 1 other | 8 Jun | 0% |
| Redcar Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 24 Aug | 0% |
| Carlisle Undulating |
1 | 1 other | 29 May | 0% |