Kalixa

What makes Kalixa's record more frustrating than straightforward is that the horse has shown it can place. Three times across nine races it has finished second or third, suggesting there is ability in there somewhere. But converting those placings into wins has proved elusive. Chris Hayes has been the regular rider and has the best record with the horse: he was in the saddle for that solitary win, and has taken four other rides since, winning on one of them. That 20% win rate in the saddle is better than the horse's overall record, which hints that getting the right jockey-horse pairing right might matter here.

Kalixa races for M D O'Callaghan's yard at The Curragh in County Kildare, a stable that has been firing this season with eighteen winners already. The horse is still an active runner — it was out just a day ago — so there is clearly belief that another win is possible. Whether Kalixa can find its way back to the winner's circle after such a long drought is another matter, but the yard's good form this season suggests it will keep looking for the right opportunity.