Gerrys Wish

The recent form makes for interesting reading. Racing just yesterday, Gerrys Wish arrives at this stage of the season in decent nick — back-to-back second-place finishes in its last two outings suggest it is running into form at exactly the right time. Before that, a pair of eighths show it has its off days like any horse, but the direction of travel right now is clearly upward. Two seconds on the bounce is the kind of form that tends to catch the eye of punters wondering whether the penny is about to drop.

What gives genuine reason for optimism is the yard behind it. Gordon Elliott, training out of Longwood in County Meath, has sent out 210 winners already this season — a staggering number that makes his operation one of the most powerful in the game. When Elliott's horses start hitting form, they tend to do so in clusters, and a horse arriving with two consecutive placings from that stable is one worth paying attention to. The team clearly believes there is a win in Gerrys Wish, and with a trainer operating at that level, patient management usually has a purpose.

The wait for a first victory goes on, but Gerrys Wish is very much in the conversation. Back-to-back placed efforts, an active campaign, and the backing of one of racing's most prolific yards — the pieces are in place. It just needs one race where everything clicks.