Duraji

The Leopardstown win came over two years ago now, and the six races since have produced nothing better than a third place. The most recent run of form — 15th, 3rd, a non-finish, 4th, 9th, 4th — paints a picture of a horse that can place but is struggling to recapture whatever was there that day in Ireland. That said, Duraji raced just yesterday, so clearly remains in training and the team at Upper Lambourn have not given up on finding the right opportunity.

That yard belongs to Richard Hughes, who has been in fine form this season with 60 winners sent out — a strong haul that suggests he knows what he is doing with the horses in his care. Duraji's regular partner in the saddle is Chris Hayes, who has ridden the horse in five of its ten races and partnered it to that sole win. Together they have won 1 from 5, which is a 20% win rate with each other — better than the horse's overall record, which is worth noting.

The one area where Duraji has genuinely struggled is at the highest level. In three races at Class 2 — some of the top races in Britain — the horse has yet to win, finishing placed or further back each time. That is not a disgrace; plenty of horses run creditably in the best company without winning. But it does suggest that Duraji's best chance of getting back into the winner's enclosure may come at a slightly lower level, somewhere that tests rather than overwhelms. With a willing trainer, a trusted jockey partnership, and a race just 24 hours ago, the story is still very much being written.