Ray Gun

The distance range of a mile and three to a mile and four furlongs looks like the sweet spot — Ray Gun has won 1 from 4 races at those trips, a 25% win rate that stands in stark contrast to its overall record. In other words, get it in the right race at the right distance and you have a genuinely different proposition. The problem is that those opportunities haven't translated into results lately.

William Carver is the regular partner, riding the horse in 6 of its 15 races and picking up that 1 win along the way — a win rate of around 1 in 6 together, which is at least better than the overall picture. Trainer J P Flavin operates out of Tramore in County Waterford and has sent out 10 winners this season, so the yard is clearly capable of getting horses ready to win. The puzzle is that Ray Gun tends to line up in Class 5 company — the more accessible, everyday end of the racing spectrum — and has still not managed a single victory at that level from 7 attempts. Winning at the easiest level of competition and failing to do so is the detail that tells you most about where this horse sits.

At 4 years old, Ray Gun still has time to add to that solitary Kempton win. But until the form figures start moving in the right direction again, it looks like a horse that found its moment once and hasn't quite rediscovered it since.