Garrincha

That trainer is Jonjo O'Neill, operating alongside his son A.J. from a yard based in Cheltenham. Fifty-one winners already this season tells you this is not a small operation making up the numbers — that is a serious training outfit with serious horses, and the fact that Garrincha is part of it means someone believes there is a race to be won here. When a yard of that size persists with a horse still searching for win number one, it usually means they can see something in the horse that the results sheet does not yet reflect.

At four years old, Garrincha is young enough that patience still makes sense. Some horses take time to figure it all out, and two placed finishes from the last two runs — including one only yesterday — suggests the curve is pointing in the right direction. Whether that first win comes next time out is the question everyone around the yard will be asking.