Alembic

None of that will necessarily worry the team at Newmarket, because Alembic is trained by Sir Mark Prescott, one of the most respected and patient operators in British racing. His yard has already sent out 48 winners this season alone, which tells you this is not a stable that struggles to find form — if a horse is still running, there is usually a plan behind it. Prescott has a long-standing reputation for placing horses carefully and bringing them along at exactly the right pace, so a three-year-old with three quiet runs under its belt is far from a lost cause in his hands.

The consistent seventh-place finishes do suggest Alembic has not yet found its ideal conditions or distance, but with a trainer of this calibre still lining up runs, there is clearly something worth working with. The next start will be worth watching.