My Cullen

The recent form makes for mixed reading. A second-place finish a few runs back showed there is some ability in there — My Cullen can get competitive — but the runs either side of it have included some blanks and mid-pack finishes, and the horse has gone six races without troubling the winner's enclosure. Racing just one day ago, My Cullen is clearly in active training and Hanlon's team are still finding races for it, which suggests they haven't given up on the idea of a breakthrough.

Jockey Brendan Powell has been aboard for seven of those 14 races and is yet to ride the horse to a win, making them an experienced partnership in the art of nearly-but-not-quite. That said, Hanlon's yard has sent out 11 winners already this season, so the operation clearly knows how to get horses winning — My Cullen just hasn't been one of them yet. The horse typically competes at Class 5, which is the entry level of British and Irish racing, and has gone 0 from 5 at that level. In theory, this is where a horse like My Cullen should be finding its easiest opportunities. The fact that it hasn't won even here underlines that this is a horse racing well within its limits without quite being good enough to beat the others doing the same.

There is no shame in that. Not every horse is destined for big days and winning photos, and My Cullen's four placed efforts prove it isn't simply making up the numbers. One good day, on the right track, in the right race, and that first win could still arrive. Hanlon's team clearly believe so.