Atheneum

The recent form makes for interesting reading. Those six latest runs read 4-10-2-17-2-5, and what stands out immediately are the two second-place finishes buried in there. Twice Atheneum has been close enough to touch the winner, which suggests ability — but also raises the question of whether this is a horse that saves its best for second place. The 10th and 17th-place finishes are harder to explain away, pointing to a horse that can run well one day and disappoint the next. That kind of inconsistency is the thing that keeps punters guessing.

Atheneum raced just one day ago, so this is very much a horse in the thick of its campaign. It is trained by Philip Kirby at East Appleton in North Yorkshire, and the yard is clearly in decent form this season — 34 winners sent out already tells you Kirby knows how to get a horse ready to win. The question is when Atheneum will decide to join that tally. With three places already on the board, the ingredients seem to be there. Sometimes a horse like this just needs everything to fall right on the right day — the right race, the right conditions, the right moment — and the first win arrives. For now, Atheneum remains one of those frustrating but quietly fascinating cases: good enough to be thereabouts, still waiting for its moment.