Smooth

The recent form figures tell the same story in numbers. Finishing positions of 14th, 7th, 13th, 11th, 7th, and 9th — reading from oldest to most recent — show a horse that has been plodding around in the middle to back of the field with stubborn consistency. A finish of 7th might sound respectable until you realise it has come twice without any improvement either side of it, sandwiched between double-digit finishes. Smooth raced just yesterday, so this is a horse very much in the thick of its season, which at least means there is still time to turn things around.

Jockey N G McCullagh has been in the saddle for six of those eight races and has not been able to find the combination that unlocks something better from the horse. Six rides together, zero wins, zero places — it is a partnership that has not clicked yet, though loyalty to the pairing suggests the team around the horse still believe there is something there worth persisting with. Trainer Charles Weld, meanwhile, has sent out just one winner from his yard this season, so Smooth is operating within a relatively quiet string right now. Whether a change of approach, conditions, or company might shake things up remains to be seen — but on current evidence, Smooth is a horse still searching for its moment.