Coasting

What does give reason for optimism is who is doing the training. David Marnane operates out of Bansha in County Tipperary, and this season his yard has sent out 16 winners — a healthy return that tells you horses leave that stable ready to run. When a trainer is firing at that rate, the horses around them tend to benefit from the confidence and sharpness the whole operation carries. Coasting raced just yesterday, so it's clearly being kept busy and the team believe there's more to come.

At this early stage, Coasting reads like a horse still finding its feet — learning what racing asks of it, getting experience under its belt. Three-year-olds often need exactly that kind of education before things click. The fact that Marnane keeps running it suggests he sees potential worth developing, and with a yard in good form behind it, the pieces are at least in place for that first win to arrive sooner rather than later.