Fifth Column

Across 17 races, he has won 5 and finished in the top 3 a further 8 times, a win rate of just under 30 per cent that marks him out as a reliable, class horse rather than a flashy talent. His recent form is encouraging rather than dominant—he was second just four races back and has had his share of harder days—but the frequency of his top-3 finishes suggests he is rarely far off the mark. William Buick, one of the country's leading jockeys, has ridden him 10 times, winning twice at a rate of 1 in 5; they seem to suit one another, and Buick's presence in the saddle will always catch the eye.

Fifth Column races for the all-conquering Newmarket yard of John and Thady Gosden, which has already sent out 140 winners this season. The Gosdens know how to pitch a horse at the right level, and everything about Fifth Column's arc—from modest beginnings to consistent Class 2 wins—suggests they have got him exactly right. He is the kind of horse that wins races without drama, and that is precisely what makes him valuable.