Erzindjan

That win — his first and, so far, only — came just seven weeks ago, and it arrived after a long wait. Twenty-two races without a victory is a test of patience for anyone involved, but the fact that T J Kent's yard kept running him says something. Kent, based in Newmarket, has sent out 12 winners this season, so this is not an outfit that keeps horses in training out of sentiment. There was clearly something they believed in.

His best distance is a mile and one to a mile and two furlongs — a middle-distance trip that suits a horse who needs time to get rolling. Across 14 races at that range, he has won once, which works out at roughly 1 in every 14 attempts, or about 7%. That is not a flashy number, but it tells you this is where he is most competitive. His record at the top two levels of racing — Class 2 and above — is four runs without a win, which suggests he finds life tough when the fields get serious.

Jockey Ray Dawson has ridden him in 13 of his 23 races, winning once together — so about 1 in every 13 rides ends in victory, or 8%. That kind of long partnership between horse and rider usually means the jockey understands the horse's quirks: when to ask, when to wait, when not to panic. Dawson was aboard for the Newmarket win.

His recent form reads 6-1-8-5-4-7, with that "1" — the win — sitting right in the middle of some ordinary efforts. He raced just yesterday, which makes him a genuinely active runner. At eight years old, Erzindjan is not a young horse building toward something — he is what he is, a tough, honest competitor who finally broke his duck on a track he clearly has a feel for. Whether he can win again is the open question, but he has shown he is capable of it, and Newmarket seems to bring out the best in him.