Al Mubhir

The problem is that Al Mubhir has not won a race since that Sandown success 28 months ago. His recent form reads 9-14-9-5-10-3 over his last six outings, which tells you he has been finishing in the frame occasionally but going without the winner's cheque. He is still active—last raced just a day ago—so he continues to get his chances, and Kevin Ryan's yard at Hambleton has been in good form this season, sending out 45 winners. Tom Marquand has ridden him 13 times, winning twice together at the same 15% rate as his overall record, so there is no obvious partnership issue.

Where Al Mubhir does have a preference is in his ideal conditions and distance. On normal ground he wins roughly one in every four races (2 wins from 8), which is a respectable figure. Over distances between seven furlongs and a mile he has won two from seven races—nearly 30%—suggesting he sits most comfortably at that sweet spot. At Class 2 level, where he typically competes these days, he has won just once from ten, which hints that he may have found his ceiling. He remains capable of showing up and running well, but that Sandown Class 1 win now feels like the high water mark of his career.