Gortmore Lady

Her recent form offers a mixed picture. A couple of third-place finishes suggest she can get involved when things fall right, but a sixteenth in one of her last six outings shows she is capable of disappearing into the pack just as easily. She has not won in any of her last six races, and her regular jockey E Walsh, who has partnered her in 12 of her 17 races, is still waiting for that breakthrough — zero wins from a dozen attempts together is a partnership that has built plenty of experience without the reward to show for it.

She has not raced for roughly four months, so the yard — the team around her — will have used that time to prepare her for whatever comes next. Her trainer A J Martin is based at Summerhill in County Meath and has had 14 winners on the board this season, so it is a yard that clearly knows how to get horses winning. The question is whether Gortmore Lady can finally join that list. For now, she remains one of those honest, consistent horses that racing is full of — always around the frame, never quite over the line.