Real Gain

That trainer is Hamad Al Jehani, based at the famous racing town of Newmarket in Suffolk — a yard that has sent out 18 winners already this season, so this is no backwater operation. Al Jehani has spoken warmly about Real Gain more than once, describing him as a big, powerful horse — over 500 kilograms — who shows his best when the pressure is on. After one of his wins, the trainer noted that Real Gain stuck his head out right when it mattered most, adding that the good ones tend to do exactly that. That is not throwaway praise from a man who chooses his words carefully.

The horse has spent most of his career competing at Class 2 level — among the top races in Britain — and has yet to win at that grade in six attempts. That blank record sounds stark, but it also tells you something: this is a horse consistently asked to race against very good company. The question is whether he can find a way to win at that level, rather than simply run respectably in it. Recent form has been mixed — a third-place finish and a fourth sandwiched around some disappointing efforts — though he raced just yesterday, so whatever that run produced, this is a horse firmly in action.

His most trusted partner in the saddle is jockey Finley Marsh, and that combination has produced results. Together they have won 3 of their 6 races — half of every time they have teamed up, which is a remarkable ratio and suggests a genuine working relationship between horse and rider. When Marsh is booked, the team clearly fancies their chances. The hope around the yard is that a horse with Real Gain's physical presence and competitive instincts still has a big day in him. The evidence says he is capable of it. The wait to see it again is the thing.