Gin Coco

The key to unlocking Gin Coco has always been the ground. On normal conditions, the record reads 3 wins from 7 races — winning nearly 1 in every 2, which is a remarkable conversion rate and essentially tells you this horse is a different animal when the track suits. When conditions shift away from that, the results dry up noticeably. Ground matters with this one more than most.

His most consistent partnership has been with jockey Jonathan Burke, who has ridden him to both of his most notable wins. Together they've won 2 of 7 races — roughly 1 in every 3.5 — which is a strong record and suggests Burke understands how to get the best out of him. The trainer had clear ambitions early in Gin Coco's career, targeting valuable two-mile hurdle races and not being shy about stepping him up in class.

The current form, however, is a concern. Gin Coco hasn't won in six races, with recent finishes of 8th, 17th, 7th, 2nd, 10th and 4th — patchy at best. That second place shows the spark hasn't fully gone, but the last win at Ascot is now 30 months in the past. When pitched at Class 1, the top level, he's yet to win from four attempts — a 0 from 4 record that suggests that particular ceiling may be just beyond him. Still active and racing as recently as yesterday, the question now is whether the right combination of conditions and company can bring one more big day out of a horse who has already delivered at least one genuinely memorable one.