Can I Kiss You

The most encouraging number in the whole file is that "2" sitting in the recent form — a runner-up finish a few races back that suggests Can I Kiss You is at least capable of mixing it with the leaders on its day. But either side of that, the results make grim reading: finishing eighth three times, eleventh once, and trailing in fourteenth on another occasion. That's a horse that, more often than not, is somewhere in the pack rather than troubling the judge at the finish line.

Luke McAteer has been the regular partner in the saddle, riding the horse in 5 of its 12 races without managing to get it over the line first. That partnership hasn't clicked yet, though experienced racing fans would point out that the horse's wider record suggests the issue isn't primarily about who's riding it.

Trainer Christopher Kellett operates out of Lathom in Lancashire, and the yard has been in decent form this season with 7 winners sent out — so it's not a case of a struggling operation. Kellett clearly knows how to get a horse to win. Can I Kiss You just hasn't been one of them yet. Sometimes a horse finds its level, sometimes it finds a race that suits it perfectly, and something clicks. Twelve races in, that moment is still out there somewhere — but it will need to come soon before patience starts to wear thin.