Wadacre Geisha

What is encouraging is the direction of travel. Her recent form reads 9-9-8-5-2-4 going back in time, which tells quite a clear story when you flip it around: she has been getting steadily better. That second place finish is a genuine sign of progress, and finishing fourth in her most recent race — just one day ago — suggests she is a horse that is currently running well and building momentum. She has not won yet, but she looks like a horse that is heading somewhere.

The trainer behind her is Charlie Johnston, operating out of Middleham Moor in North Yorkshire, which is one of the most respected yards in the country. With 128 winners already on the board this season alone, Johnston's operation is not short of quality or confidence. When a yard of that calibre keeps a horse in training and keeps running her, it usually means they believe there is a race to be won somewhere. Wadacre Geisha has not cracked it yet, but with form that is clearly improving and a trainer who clearly knows how to get horses winning, it would be premature to assume she never will.