Miss Lia

That sole career win came at Tramore in August 2024, now 21 months ago, and she hasn't been able to add to it since. What's notable, though, is her recent form. Look at her last six races and you see a string of placed finishes — second, second, second — which means she has been running well enough to beat most of the field, just not quite well enough to beat the one horse that matters most. That's the frustrating side of racing in a nutshell: consistency doesn't always pay.

Her most regular partner in the saddle is Tiernan Power Roche, who has ridden her in 9 of her 16 races and was aboard for that Tramore win. Together they've won 1 from 9, an 11% win rate — roughly 1 in every 9 rides — which on its own sounds modest but actually reflects the difficulty of what they're trying to do rather than any lack of partnership. The fact that he keeps coming back suggests the team believes there's more to come.

She's trained by P J Rothwell out of Tinahely in County Wicklow, a yard in good form this season — 35 winners sent out is a healthy total and suggests a set-up that knows how to get horses ready to win. With Miss Lia, Rothwell has a horse whose form figures are respectable but whose win column remains stubbornly short. She raced just one day ago, so she is clearly fit and active, and the question the yard will be asking is simple: can they find the right opportunity to turn one of those placed finishes into something more?