Hidalgo Des Mottes

The recent form gives a mixed picture. A second place and a fourth in the last six runs suggests there's still some life in the horse, but an eleventh place in there as well shows the inconsistency that has defined its career. Jockey Ricky Doyle has partnered Hidalgo Des Mottes more than anyone else — 11 times together — and the pair are yet to get off the mark. That's not necessarily a reflection on either horse or rider; sometimes a combination just hasn't found the right moment. The horse raced just yesterday, which means it's firmly in training and being kept busy by Eoin Griffin's yard in Slieverue, County Kilkenny.

Griffin is clearly capable of winning races — his yard has sent out eight winners already this season — so the horses around Hidalgo Des Mottes are getting the job done. That perhaps makes the wait for this particular horse's first win all the more curious. At nine years old, time is not exactly on its side, but the fact the team keeps running it suggests they believe there's a race out there with its name on it. Whether that belief eventually gets rewarded is the question every run is quietly trying to answer.