Hotel California

Trained by David Menuisier at his yard in Pulborough, West Sussex, Hotel California is at least in capable hands. Menuisier's team has sent out 25 winners already this season, which tells you this is an operation that knows how to get horses ready to win. The puzzle is simply that this particular horse hasn't been one of them yet.

A record of zero wins and zero places from two races is about as blank a slate as you can have, and seventh and eighth-place finishes don't offer many clues about where improvement might come from. What we do know is that Hotel California is very much a work in progress — still racing, still learning, and with a trainer experienced enough to find the right opportunity when the time comes.