Phildante

The recent form tells a familiar tale of near-misses and disappointments. A second-place finish four runs ago offered a glimpse of what Phildante might be capable of, but either side of that bright spot the results have been modest — a sixth, a fifth, and then a pair of double-digit finishes that suggest the horse may be finding life difficult at its current level. Now returning from a break of roughly four months, the question is whether the time off has done it any good, or whether it simply confirms how hard the yard has found it to place this horse to its best advantage.

Trainer Eoin Doyle operates out of Mooncoin in County Kilkenny and has sent out two winners this season — a small but active yard rather than a powerhouse operation. For a horse like Phildante, finding the right race at the right moment is everything, and with 16 attempts on the board and nothing to show in the win column, Doyle will need to find exactly the right opportunity if this horse is ever going to get off the mark.