Cairdeas

His recent form — second, fifth, second, twelfth, sixth, fourth — paints an interesting picture. There are some decent efforts in there, a couple of runner-up finishes that suggest he's competitive, but also a twelfth-place finish that hints at inconsistency. He raced just yesterday, which means he's an active and busy campaigner right now.

Tom Marquand has ridden him more than anyone else, the pair teaming up seven times. They've won together once — that Newmarket victory — which works out at roughly 1 win in every 7 rides together, or around 14%. Not a startling partnership on paper, but there's clearly an established relationship there. His trainer Paul Midgley, based at Westow in North Yorkshire, has had a productive season with 39 winners sent out from the yard, so Cairdeas is operating within a yard in decent form.

Midgley is candid about where this horse is headed. He bought Cairdeas from the highly regarded William Haggas yard, and while he hasn't had him long, he's already forming a clear view: the horse travelled well over seven furlongs at York but didn't quite see out the trip. The plan is to bring him back to six furlongs, where he'll have less ground to cover and can hopefully use his natural energy more effectively. Midgley also believes the horse has more to give — that he'll develop into a better animal than the one he currently has in the stable. That kind of quiet confidence from a trainer who's clearly watching closely is worth noting.

His best results have come over seven furlongs to a mile, winning 1 from 8 races at those distances, and he typically competes at Class 4 level — the bread-and-butter tier of British racing, a level or two below the elite races. At that level he's won 1 from 11, around 9%, which is modest but not negligible. A step back in trip and a bit more time could be exactly what this horse needs.