Trooper

Trained by Neil Mulholland out of Limpley Stoke in Wiltshire, Trooper sits in a yard that has been in fine form this season, sending out 60 winners. That level of output shows Mulholland knows how to get horses winning, which makes Trooper something of an outlier in the stable at the moment. His recent finishing positions — 8th, 6th, 6th, and 5th last time out — do at least hint at a horse that is gradually finding his feet and creeping closer to the action. He raced just yesterday, so whatever is coming next is not far away.

The honest truth is that Trooper hasn't shown enough yet to draw firm conclusions, but the improving trend in those finishing positions is the one small thread worth holding onto. Whether he can convert that into a first win remains the only question that matters.