Centaq

The recent form makes for grim reading. In the last six races, Centaq's best finish was second place, which came twice. The other four outings produced sixth and eighth-place finishes — the sort of results that suggest the horse is drifting backward rather than progressing. It raced as recently as yesterday, so the yard have not given up on finding a winning opportunity, even if the evidence so far is discouraging.

Jockey P J O'Hanlon has ridden Centaq eight times and has tasted victory zero times in the saddle aboard this horse, a record that mirrors the broader picture. The trainer, Dermot A McLoughlin, based at Bodeen near Ratoath in County Meath, has managed ten winners from the yard this season, but Centaq is not among them. It is the kind of horse that might be hard to place, reliable enough to run respectably but not talented enough to break its duck. For those following along, Centaq remains a work in progress — or possibly just a horse that will always be one just outside the prizes rather than claiming them.