Stone Rulya

Trained by Eoin Doyle out of Mooncoin in County Kilkenny, Stone Rulya is part of a small operation that has sent out two winners this season. Doyle's team clearly has horses capable of getting the job done, which means there's at least some reason to think conditions or distance or a change of tactics might eventually unlock something in this horse. But with seven races now in the book and not a single top-three finish to show for it, patience is the main currency here.

The fact that Stone Rulya raced just yesterday shows this is an active campaign — the team hasn't given up and is still searching for the right opportunity. Whether that opportunity comes is the open question. Some horses take time to figure out what suits them; others simply find their level and stay there. At this stage, Stone Rulya hasn't given much reason for optimism, but it's still only four years old, and the search goes on.