Fianna

The recent form makes for difficult reading. Looking back across the last six races — seventh, fifth, third, sixth, fifth, ninth — there is a brief flicker of promise in that third-place finish, but it sits surrounded by performances that suggest a horse either finding the competition too stiff or not quite firing on a given day. The ninth place at the far end of that sequence is the sort of run that leaves a trainer scratching his head.

Fianna is trained by Aidan Anthony Howard at the Curragh in County Kildare, one of Irish racing's most famous addresses. The yard has sent out two winners so far this season, which is a modest return at this stage, and Fianna has not contributed to that tally. She raced just yesterday, so she is very much an active runner rather than a horse being nursed back to form — Howard clearly still believes there is a race to be won with her somewhere.

Whether that day comes is the question. At five years old, Fianna is not young, and nine races without a win is a long wait. But horses do surprise you, and the fact that she keeps appearing in the entries suggests the team have not given up on her finding her moment.