Caprelo

The bright spot is Caprelo's love of wet, muddy ground. On soft or heavy going, the horse wins roughly one in every three races—3 wins from 9 starts. This is genuinely strong form, and it suggests the answer to unlocking better performances might come down to conditions and course selection. Kempton Park has been its happy hunting ground overall: 3 wins from 10 races there, including that September victory. The horse also shows its best form over 1m3f to 1m4f (middle distances), where it has won 1 of 4 races, and competes most often at lower Class 5 level, where it has won 2 of 8.

Trainer Hughie Morrison, based at East Ilsley in Berkshire, has been candid about Caprelo's shortcomings. Morrison notes that the horse has the raw ability—it proved that by winning first time out last season and being placed twice—but has become unreliable. The trainer suspects bloodline stubbornness may be part of the problem; Caprelo carries the blood of Ulysses, a sire whose progeny can be reluctant racers. Still, Morrison keeps running the horse, which raced just a day ago and is clearly an active part of the yard's plans. With 20 winners sent out this season, the stable is firing, and if Caprelo finds the right combination of wet ground, the right trip, and ideally Kempton Park again, it could rediscover that winning touch.