Dilrisk

The recent form reads 3-4, meaning Dilrisk has finished third and fourth in its two outings, both respectable efforts without quite reaching the top step. Crucially, this is a horse that raced just yesterday, so it is very much in the thick of a current campaign rather than a work in progress from a distance.

What Dilrisk does have in its favour is the yard behind it. Nicky Richards, based at Greystoke in Cumbria, is one of the most respected northern trainers in the game and has sent out 39 winners already this season — a figure that speaks to a stable in confident, productive form. When a trainer is firing at that rate, even a horse still chasing its first win gets the benefit of serious preparation and knowhow. The question is simply when, not whether, the Richards team will find the right opportunity to get Dilrisk off the mark.