Ace King Queen

Trained by Daniel James Murphy at Curragh in Co Kildare, Ace King Queen is at least in capable hands. Murphy's yard has sent out 19 winners this season, which suggests there is plenty of ability being nurtured on the premises — the question is simply whether Ace King Queen can tap into any of it. A trainer firing in winners at that rate clearly knows how to get a horse to perform; the challenge now is finding the right opportunity for this particular one to do the same.

There is no shame in being a work in progress at four, and the very fact that Murphy keeps running the horse suggests some belief that a better result is coming. The form so far does not make a compelling case, but every horse that eventually wins has a losing streak somewhere in its past.