Maucourt d'Airy

Trained by Ella Pickard out of her yard in Timberscombe, Somerset, Maucourt d'Airy is part of a small operation that has quietly put five winners on the board this season — which tells you that Pickard knows how to place a horse when the conditions are right. The question for this one is whether a race can be found to suit it, or whether these early outings are simply part of a learning curve that hasn't yet paid off.

At three races in, it would be premature to write Maucourt d'Airy off entirely. Some horses take time to acclimatise, and with a trainer who is clearly capable of finding winning opportunities, there may be better days ahead. But right now, this is a horse with everything still to prove.