Glenmalure Flyer

The shape of his recent record tells an interesting story. In his last six outings, he has finished first, then third, then first again—a solid one-two-one that marks a real improvement on the muddier form that came before, when he posted an eighth, a tenth, and another eighth. This is the kind of form curve that trainers live for: inconsistent horses sometimes just need time, or the right race, or the right conditions to click into gear. Dan Skelton's yard at Alcester has won 198 races this season, so the stable is doing well, and Skelton has kept faith with Glenmalure Flyer through the leaner months.

One oddity: Rachael Blackmore, one of the country's finest jockeys, has ridden him five times without a win. That does not necessarily mean much—horses and jockeys do not always suit one another—but it is worth noting that his recent wins have come with different partnerships. At eight years old, Glenmalure Flyer is no young prospect, but he is not a pensioner either. If he can string together a few more wins like the one at Stratford, he could turn into a genuinely useful handicap prospect. For now, he remains a work in progress—a horse that flatters to deceive, but one that has given his the yard enough reasons to keep running him.