Harmani

The recent form tells an interesting story. The sequence runs 2-3-7-2, meaning Harmani has bookended a difficult middle patch with two runner-up finishes. That seventh-place effort looks like the outlier rather than the norm, and the quick return to second place immediately after suggests it was a blip rather than a collapse in form. Horses that bounce back like that tend to be mentally tough competitors.

What gives genuine cause for optimism is who is doing the training. G M Lyons, based at Dunsany in County Meath, is one of the most productive yards in the game right now — 49 winners sent out this season alone. To put that in perspective, many trainers go entire careers without hitting 49 seasonal winners. When a yard is operating at that level, the horses in it are well placed to find their moment, and Harmani, having raced just four times at age three, is still very much at the beginning of the story. The win has not come yet, but with this team behind the horse and a recent second-place finish just one day ago, it would be no surprise at all if that changes soon.