Collanisi

The recent form does at least offer something to hold onto. After a rough patch in the middle of that sequence — finishing ninth twice — Collanisi has come back into contention, placing third most recently and showing enough in the last couple of runs to suggest the wheels haven't completely fallen off. Racing just yesterday, this is clearly a horse in active training and right in the thick of its campaign.

What works in Collanisi's favour is the operation behind it. Ben Pauling trains out of Naunton in Gloucestershire, and his yard has sent out 91 winners already this season — a serious number that tells you this is a team that knows how to get horses ready to perform. When a stable is firing at that rate, it tends to mean the horses that haven't won yet are often closer than their records suggest. Pauling's team doesn't typically keep running horses for the fun of it, which at least hints that Collanisi is considered capable of better.

Whether that better actually arrives remains the question. Six races without a win at six years old means the clock isn't exactly on this horse's side, but the talent sitting in that yard and the recent return to placing positions means it would be premature to write Collanisi off entirely. Sometimes it just takes the right race on the right day — and with a trainer who wins as often as Pauling does, that combination might not be too far away.