Bayonetta

Her recent form tells an interesting story. Strip away a flat run back in sixth place earlier in the sequence and she has been remarkably consistent, rattling off three third-place finishes and a fourth in her last four races. She raced just yesterday, so she is clearly fit and active, and Gerald Stephen Quinn's yard in Ballymena, Co Antrim, is keeping her busy. Quinn has sent out two winners from his yard this season, which is a modest total, but Bayonetta's string of near-misses suggests the team believes a breakthrough is possible.

The frustrating detail is that she has had four chances at the level she usually competes at and has come away empty-handed every time. At her age — eight years old is not ancient for a racehorse, but it is not young either — time is not quite on her side when it comes to finally getting her nose in front. She is the kind of horse who would delight her the yard if she ever did manage to win, simply because the wait has been so long. For now, she remains one of racing's most consistent bridesmaids: always there, never quite the bride.