Enamorus

The recent form figures — 3, 9, 5, 3, 2, 3 — are worth a closer look. Strip out that run of ninth, which looks like an off day or a race that simply did not suit, and what you have is a horse that has finished second or third in four of its other five races. Second place last time out is particularly encouraging, because it suggests the horse is knocking hard on the door. Horses that keep placing like this tend to be frustrating to follow, but they also tend to win eventually — and when they do, it often feels overdue rather than surprising.

Enamorus raced just one day ago, which means this is a horse in active campaign right now, being kept busy and tested regularly. That kind of schedule suggests the team around it believe there is more to come and are not shy about putting it in the ring. Behind all of this is trainer Hugo Palmer, operating out of Malpas in Cheshire. Palmer's yard has sent out 67 winners already this season — that is a serious tally and a sign of a stable in strong form. When a trainer is winning at that kind of pace, the horses finishing second and third in their care are often better than their bare record suggests. They are simply competing in fields where the opposition is also good.

Enamorus is at an interesting point. It is young, it is placing consistently, it is trained by someone clearly in form, and it ran just yesterday. The win has not come yet, but very little about this profile suggests it will not.