Ruiz

What is encouraging is the context around Ruiz. Simon Dow's yard at Epsom has sent out 14 winners already this season, which tells you this is an active, capable operation that knows how to get horses ready to run. Epsom is one of the most famous addresses in British racing — it is the home of the Derby — and training there requires a real understanding of horses, given the unique undulating terrain the horses work on every day. Dow is no stranger to getting results, and the fact that Ruiz is still being entered and raced — it ran just one day ago — suggests the team has not given up on finding the right opportunity for this horse.

At three years old, Ruiz is still young and relatively inexperienced. Some horses of this age are still working out what racing is actually about. Whether better form is around the corner remains to be seen, but with a busy yard behind it and races still coming, there is at least a platform to build from.