Truly Special

The recent form tells an interesting story. Of the last six races, Truly Special has managed two wins and two places, which is solid returns. However, the horse raced just yesterday and finished ninth, suggesting it may have come up against stronger competition or tougher ground conditions. Before that ninth-place run, there was another sixth-place finish, so there's been a dip in form over the last two outings. What stands out is that Truly Special clearly prefers Carlisle — two wins at that track against no success at all in the three Class 6 races it has contested, where it has failed to win.

John Wainwright's Norton yard has had a modest season with four winners, and Truly Special represents the kind of horse that can deliver when conditions and company align. At a 3-year-old still developing, and with a win rate of roughly one in every five races, there is upside here if the horse returns to the track where it has shown it can win. The question now is whether Wainwright will aim it back at Carlisle or try to break its duck in stronger races elsewhere.