Shazani

What makes the Doncaster win worth noting is that it came after the first career success at Hamilton Park in June of that year, suggesting Shazani had found a level that suited. Both wins came within a three-month window, which is the kind of purple patch that every trainer hopes will spark something longer lasting. It did not, at least not yet. The bulk of Shazani's racing has come at Class 4 level — essentially the mid-tier of British racing, a step below the prestige events but competitive enough that winning even once requires genuine ability. One win from nine races at that level, an 11% win rate, is modest rather than alarming, but the horse has clearly not kicked on as hoped.

Roy Bowring trains from Edwinstowe in Nottinghamshire, a small yard that has sent out five winners this season — proof that the operation knows how to get a horse to the line first. Jockey Alistair Rawlinson has partnered Shazani five times without a win, though that partnership is still relatively young in racing terms. The most encouraging note in recent form is that second-place finish, which shows the ability is still there somewhere beneath the disappointing results either side of it. Whether Shazani can rediscover the consistency of that late-summer spell in 2024 is the interesting question hanging over every run from here.