Fallacious Promise

What the recent form does show is a horse of inconsistent moods. Those two runner-up finishes sit alongside results of fifth, ninth, ninth, and tenth, which suggests a horse that can run a decent race and then go missing entirely the next time out. That kind of up-and-down profile is frustrating for anyone following it, but it's also not unusual in a young three-year-old still finding its feet. Horses at this age are still developing physically and mentally, and sometimes it takes a while for everything to click.

The trainer is John Butler, based at Newmarket — one of the most famous racing towns in the world, home to some of the sport's most established yards. Butler's operation has sent out 34 winners already this season, which shows this is a functioning, competitive yard rather than a small-time outfit. That matters because it means Fallacious Promise is at least being trained by someone who knows how to get horses to win races. The breakthrough, when it comes, should come from a place of proper preparation. The horse raced just yesterday, so it is very much still in active campaign — the team clearly believe there is a race to be won somewhere, and they are out there looking for it.