Zenford

Trained by J P Murtagh at Coolaghknock Glebe in County Kildare, Zenford is part of a yard that clearly knows what it is doing — 54 winners sent out already this season is a serious number, the kind of output that marks out a stable operating at the top of its game. Being in that environment gives Zenford every chance of converting one of those near-misses into a first win when the right opportunity comes along.

With a race as recently as yesterday, this is a horse firmly in the thick of its season. The form of 3-3-3 is both encouraging and a little tantalising — it has not been beaten far out of sight, but it has not managed to force its way to the front either. At three years old, there is plenty of time to find that extra gear.