Sligo

Off the track for over seven months, which is a significant unknown, but the trainer has been in brilliant form recently — winning roughly 1 in 5 races over the past two weeks, the best record of any trainer in this field. The jockey and trainer have teamed up nearly 900 times together, a well-drilled partnership. A tongue strap goes on for the first time, hinting the yard think there's more to find.

Ran second at the Curragh on debut, which looked promising, but followed that with an 11th at Gowran Park beaten nearly 16 lengths — a sharp step backwards. The plus here is the jockey, who has won roughly 1 in 4 races over the past two weeks, the best recent form of any rider in this field. Whether the horse can bounce back to that debut level is the question.

The most experienced runner in the field with four races under its belt, and it has placed twice — a second and a third — to go with two fifth-place finishes. It carries an official rating of 76, making it the only rated horse in the race, and jockey and trainer are working together for the first time today. Consistent enough to be respected, even without a win yet.

The editorial verdict picks this one out as worth a chance on its return, and the reasoning is sound — its two previous races were in much stronger company than this, which makes the seventh and eighth-place finishes look more respectable in context. It has been off the track longer than any other runner here, nearly 11 months, so there is a fitness question to answer. If the trainer has it ready to go, this could be the most interesting runner in the race.