Hopjes

The recent form does show some signs of life. A third-place finish two runs ago suggests Hopjes is at least competitive on its day, even if converting that into a win has proved elusive. The horse last raced just 15 days ago, so it is very much in active training and presumably Harriet Dickin believes there is still a race to be won somewhere down the line.

Dickin trains out of Midford in Somerset and has sent out four winners already this season, which shows the yard is capable of getting horses to perform. Hopjes has typically been entered at Class 4 level — the middle tier of British racing, neither the glamour end nor the very bottom — and has come up short in all four races at that grade. At some point the team may look at dropping it into softer company to give it the best possible chance of breaking that duck. Until then, Hopjes remains one of those horses where the next race always feels like the one where things might finally click.