Ballinaboola Gold

The recent form makes for mixed reading. A second place two races ago shows it can get competitive, but a fifth, an eighth, and a fourteenth scattered around it tell a story of inconsistency rather than a horse on the verge of putting it all together. Jockey Danny Mullins has stuck with the partnership through five of those races without a win to show for it, which at least speaks to some ongoing faith in the horse's potential, even if the results haven't followed.

Trainer R Donohoe has sent out six winners already this season, so the yard clearly knows how to get horses across the line — the question is whether Ballinaboola Gold can be added to that tally. Having raced just one day ago, the horse is very much in active campaign mode, and the yard will be hoping that the placed effort from recent outings is a sign of form building rather than a false dawn. At five years old, there is still time — but the clock is ticking on what has so far been a winless career.