Gilet

The pattern in his recent form bears this out. Over his last six races, he has finished third, fourth, second, eleventh, fourth, and seventh—respectable moments mixed with outright disappointment. He has just returned from a sixty-seven-day break, which might sharpen him up, though there is no guarantee. Edward Greatrex, who rides him most often, has never tasted victory aboard Gilet across nine attempts, which is another small red flag when horse and jockey have not built a winning understanding.

Where Gilet shows genuine promise is at the sharper end of the track. Over five to six and a half furlongs, he has won one from four races—a 25 per cent win rate—which hints that the quicker ground and shorter distances suit his running style. The problem is that he has won nothing from eight races at Class 4 level, suggesting he may struggle when stepped up even modestly in grade. Trained by Warren Greatrex at Upper Lambourn, the yard is firing this season with fifty-two winners to its name, so the infrastructure is there. Gilet, however, looks like a horse who will need his conditions to be exactly right—the right track, the right distance, the right kind of race—to win again.