Dragon God

What makes the situation genuinely intriguing is who is doing the training. Tony Carroll, based at Cropthorne in Worcestershire, has sent out 136 winners already this season — that is a serious training operation with real firepower behind it. When a yard of that calibre keeps running a horse, it usually means they see something worth persevering with. Carroll's team will know Dragon God far better than any outside observer, and the fact that the horse raced just yesterday and is clearly being kept busy suggests they are actively trying to find the right opportunity to get that win on the board.

The challenge is that Dragon God has been racing at Class 5 level — the lower end of the scale — and has not managed to win any of its four races at that grade. That is the level where you would expect a horse to eventually break its duck if it has any ability at all, so there is work still to do. Still, only nine races in, and with a trainer who clearly knows how to place horses to win, it would be premature to give up on Dragon God just yet. Those two placed finishes hint at a horse that is at least competitive. Whether it can convert that into a win is the question everyone in the Carroll yard will be hoping to answer soon.