Kiani King

The direction of travel matters here. A ninth on debut is not unusual — first-time runners are often underprepared or simply learning the ropes — and back-to-back fourths since then points to a horse that is figuring things out race by race. Fourths are frustrating, of course, one place outside the prizes, but they also suggest Kiani King is competitive enough to be in the conversation at the business end of a race.

Having raced as recently as yesterday, this is a horse very much in the thick of its season. Hughie Morrison, who trains out of East Ilsley in Berkshire, has sent out 20 winners this season — a yard clearly in good form. Morrison is a trainer known for patient handling of younger horses, and the fact that Kiani King keeps getting runs suggests the team believe there is more to come. Three years old is still young, and plenty of horses take time to hit their stride. Whether that moment arrives soon is the question worth watching.