Tarlac

Trained by Katie Scott at her Galashiels yard in the Scottish Borders, Tarlac was a castoff from a big racing operation — he arrived from Kevin Ryan's stable, where he was raced by Sheikh Obaid. Scott recalls that he came to her "racing the wrong way round a little bit" and needed time to settle, but once he did, his talent showed through. A second at Hamilton led to that maiden win at Ripon, and Scott believes there is genuine improvement to come. When he ran disappointingly at Ayr recently, the trainer did not panic; the ground was heavy and sticky that day, and she felt he simply lacked the strength to handle it. "He's a really nice horse," she said, "and we're excited for him for the backend."

That optimism matters. Tarlac typically races in Class 5 events — the lower tier of racing — and at that level, he wins roughly 1 in every 9 races. His most recent form shows he has not broken that habit of grinding out small places: in his last six outings he has finished 8th, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 7th, and 8th. It is the pattern of a horse who runs well enough to occasionally land a place but rarely delivers a win. Yet Scott's yard has sent out 17 winners this season and clearly knows how to get the most from horses of modest ability. Tarlac raced just a day ago, so he remains active and in work. For a horse of his type, that consistency itself is its own kind of achievement.