Warning Symbol

The horse runs best over a mile and a furlong to a mile and two furlongs, the sweet spot distance where it has won one of four races, or 25 per cent. Recent form has been mixed. Over the last six runs, Warning Symbol managed a third place two starts ago and finished third again on its most recent outing, just a day ago, but sandwiched between those efforts were tougher runs — a ninth and a fifth — that suggest it is still learning what it needs to do under pressure. The long gap between wins, now eight months, points to a horse that has found life harder at the racecourse since that breakthrough at Kempton, but the pair of third-place finishes in quick succession hints that another victory may not be far away.

Trainer James Owen, based at Newmarket, has sent out 205 winners this season and clearly has the yard firing. That backing matters for a three-year-old still learning its trade. Warning Symbol may not yet be a reliable winner, but with the right race and a bit of luck, it looks capable of adding to its tally before the year is out.