Why star filly Laurens wears her heart on her sleeve at a mile

On any other weekend, the big news would be Laurens, who like Enable will make the final start of her highly decorated career.

In her case that is in the Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes (3.25) at Newmarket, where she will be going for a seventh Group 1 win, the previous six coming between 1m and the 1m2½f of the Prix de Diane.

It is remarkable enough that a filly who has never returned an RPR higher than 117 has amassed so many top-level wins. Even on stride metrics, Laurens does not adhere to the norm.

Her cadence has been measured at an average of 2.16, which is more like what would be expected of horses running over 1m4f. On her only run at that trip, she proved too free in the Yorkshire Oaks.

The data suggests it might have been worth persevering with Laurens up in trip, but it also strikes at what has made her so popular.

At a mile she is known as a resolute front-runner who puts it all on the line time and time again. Given that her slow stride inhibits her ability to quicken at the trip, it seems unlikely she would have achieved all she has if ridden any other way, irrespective of her battling qualities.

Elsewhere at Newmarket on Saturday, tracking data suggests Mild Illusion could outperform her odds in the £150,000 Tattersalls October Auction Stakes (2.15) over 6f.

Her profile has been essentially progressive, bar a couple of blips over 7f at this course including last week. On both occasions she has lost positions near the finish and her stride frequency, which averages just less than 2.40 strides per second and peaks above 2.60, is more in tune with sprints. She has a longer-than-average stride length too, so expect her to resume progress if she is over last week's race.

All data courtesy of Total Performance Data, whose tracking covers more than 20 courses in the UK and North America