Atallah

Trained by Keith Henry Clarke out of Drumree in County Meath, Atallah is part of a yard that has managed one winner so far this season. Clarke is working with limited ammunition at the top end of the results table, and a horse finishing in the teens consistently isn't making that task any easier. The most charitable reading of the form figures is that Atallah is still learning — three-year-olds can take time to find their feet — but four races in without even a placed finish suggests there is meaningful improvement needed before this one starts troubling the judge.

Something to watch for is whether the finishing positions start creeping forward. Going from 15th to 12th to 9th to 8th in reverse order would actually represent a horse moving in the right direction, and if that trend continued, a place — and eventually a win — might not be as far away as the bare record suggests. For now, patience is the watchword.