Ceroc

What makes Ceroc's record genuinely interesting is how much better it looks on wet or muddy ground. On soft going, it has won 2 of just 6 races — that's 1 in every 3, a completely different horse to the one that has struggled to convert on better conditions. If there's a window back to the winner's enclosure, rain is the key that opens it.

Jockey Phillip Enright has been the regular partner, riding Ceroc in 15 of its 32 races and winning twice together, a win rate of around 1 in 8. That's a meaningful partnership, and the fact that both of Ceroc's wins have come with Enright aboard is worth noting. The horse is trained by Andrew Slattery out of Thurles in County Tipperary — a yard that has sent out 60 winners already this season, which tells you this is a competent, active operation rather than a small hobby yard. Slattery clearly knows how to place his horses to find winning opportunities.

Ceroc raced just yesterday, which means it is very much still in active campaigning. Recent form shows a second place and a couple of mid-field finishes, so there are glimmers of form without the breakthrough. The trainer will be hoping the right race on the right ground comes along soon — because when the ground is soft and Enright is in the saddle, Ceroc has shown it absolutely can win.