Makinbecon

Trained by Barry John Murphy out of a small yard in Caerfyrddin, Carmarthenshire, Makinbecon is very much a grassroots operation. Murphy's team has sent out just one winner this season, which puts the yard firmly in the category of outfits where every success is hard-earned and genuinely celebrated. For a trainer working at that level, finding the right race for a horse like this — one that has shown enough to suggest ability but not enough to prove it — is the daily puzzle.

The fact that Makinbecon was out racing just yesterday tells you the team hasn't given up. That matters. Horses that keep running are horses whose trainers still believe there's a performance in there waiting to happen. Whether that belief is rewarded remains to be seen, but for now, this is a horse still searching for its moment.