Elemma

The one encouraging factor here is the trainer. Richard Fahey operates out of Musley Bank in North Yorkshire and is one of the most productive yards in the north of England. With 23 winners already on the board this season, Fahey clearly knows how to get horses to perform — which makes Elemma something of a puzzle. When a yard is firing at that kind of rate, a horse that hasn't troubled the judge in four attempts stands out. Either she hasn't found her right trip or conditions yet, or she's simply finding life tough at her current level.

At three years old, there is still time. Horses this age are still developing, and some take longer than others to figure out what racing is actually asking of them. For now, Elemma is a work in progress — interesting mainly because of who has her and because yesterday's run means there is almost certainly a decision coming soon about how to unlock whatever potential the team believes is there.