Tambora

Trained by Richard Hannon out of his yard at Herridge in Wiltshire, Tambora is at least in capable hands. Hannon's operation has sent out 118 winners already this season, which tells you this is one of the most productive yards in the country — a place where talented horses get found out and developed. The puzzle is that Tambora hasn't yet shown anything to suggest it belongs in that conversation. Finishing fifth or sixth three times in a row, with no improvement in the most recent run, is a flat trajectory at an age when most horses are starting to define themselves.

The one small mercy is that Tambora raced just yesterday, so this isn't a horse that has drifted quietly into obscurity. It is active, it is being campaigned, and the team clearly believes there is something worth persevering with. Whether the track, the distance, or simply more time is the missing ingredient remains to be seen — but with a yard firing at the rate Hannon's is this season, you'd expect them to have a plan.