Composite scores are a snapshot of where a dog stands right now, but it's the trajectory that often tells the more useful story, and today's data has thrown up a handful of dogs whose ratings have jumped sharply in a short space of time.
Lukey Bee tops the list, climbing from a composite score of just 11 up to 47, a 36-point improvement, and she's back out today in the A6 over Monmore's 480m from trap 4. Bonita Moon has made an almost identical leap, from 4 up to 40, and runs in the D3 over Monmore's shorter 264m trip from trap 3. Jumps of that size in either direction usually mean a change in circumstances, a step up or down in grade, a different distance suiting a dog's running style better, or simply a string of races where the pieces have finally come together after a quieter spell.
Dorotas Diamond is the third dog making the same 36-point move, from 31 to 67, and she's out in the A7 over Star Pelaw's 435m from trap 6, that new rating now comfortably the strongest of the three. Kennel trackers with an eye on the next few weeks rather than just tonight's card would do well to add these names, a dog on a rising curve is often better value than one who's already fully rated and been backed accordingly.
As ever with sharp rating moves, it's worth watching whether the improvement holds up over the next couple of starts before treating it as the new normal rather than a one-off blip.