Hamiyan

What's worth watching is the recent trajectory. The form figures read 12-4-3-2-9, and while that final number looks like a step backward, the run before it tells a better story — second place, which is as close as you can get without winning. For a horse that was finishing ninth and twelfth earlier in its career, finding a rhythm and threatening the front has to count for something.

The stable behind Hamiyan is no small operation. Dermot Weld's yard at the Curragh in County Kildare is one of the most respected training operations in Ireland, and this season alone it has sent out 29 winners. That kind of firepower means Hamiyan is learning its trade in very good company — and when Weld's horses start putting their form together, they tend to do it properly. The fact that this horse raced just yesterday and remains active suggests the team sees more to come.

Whether Hamiyan can convert potential into a first win is the open question. Five races in, the profile is of a horse that's competitive but not yet a winner — placed 2 times from 5 attempts, which means it has finished in the top three in 2 of every 5 races without ever getting over the line. At three years old, there's every reason to think the best is still ahead.