Accelereight

The recent form figures of 2-6-8-12-6 tell an interesting story. That early second-place finish showed real promise, but performances since have been inconsistent — dropping as far back as twelfth before rallying to sixth most recently. Whether that latest effort represents a horse finding its feet again or simply a more forgiving field is hard to say, but racing just yesterday means Murtagh clearly believes there is more to come.

The trainer himself is no small part of the picture. Murtagh's yard has sent out 54 winners already this season, which marks it out as one of the more productive operations around. A stable firing at that rate tends to know when a horse is ready to run and when it needs more time — so the fact that Accelereight keeps getting its chance suggests the team sees something worth persevering with. For a horse still without a win, that patience from a successful yard is arguably the most encouraging sign of all.