Hieloray

The recent form makes for tough reading. Looking at the last six races from most recent backwards — 2nd, 6th, 8th, 9th, 13th, 9th — there's a horse that was competitive enough to finish second on one occasion but has since drifted back into the pack. That runner-up finish is the high point, and everything since suggests it has found things getting harder rather than easier. Hieloray hasn't raced in around five months, so there will be questions about how it returns from that break.

Jockey Rory Cleary has ridden Hieloray in 8 of its 13 races — a clear sign the partnership has been given every opportunity to click — but they are yet to win together from those 8 rides. That's not necessarily a knock on either horse or rider; sometimes a combination just needs the right day and the right race. But eight attempts without a win is a long run of near-misses.

Trainer Aidan Melia operates out of Monasterevin in County Kildare and has sent out two winners so far this season. That's a small but active yard, and the fact that Hieloray keeps getting race entries suggests Melia sees something worth persevering with. Whether this horse can finally deliver that first win on its return from a five-month absence remains to be seen — but at four years old, and with a placed finish already on the board, it hasn't been written off just yet.