Atlantian

Look at the recent form and something is clearly clicking, even if the winning post keeps slipping away. In his last six races, Atlantian has finished second three times and fifth and sixth once each, with only one real clunker — a twelfth-place finish that stands out as the exception. Three runner-up spots in six races means he is competitive, he is showing up, and he is making people watch him. He just cannot quite get his nose in front, which is either a puzzle or a frustration depending on how long you have been following him.

Peter Carberry has been in the saddle for six of those races and is yet to ride him to a win, but the pair keep turning up together, which suggests the team at A J Martin's yard in Summerhill, County Meath, still believe there is something worth chasing. Martin has sent out 15 winners already this season, so this is not a yard short of confidence or ability — Atlantian is simply one of those horses who makes trainers and jockeys work harder than they'd like for results that don't quite come.

At nine years old, Atlantian is not a young horse waiting to develop. What you see is largely what you get — a consistent performer who places regularly but hasn't broken through. For a casual observer, he might be the most relatable horse on the card: tries hard, finishes well, just never quite wins. He ran just yesterday, so he is clearly fit and active, and those placed finishes suggest he still has enough about him to be competitive. Whether that translates into a first career win remains the question his whole profile has been quietly asking.