Katakana

What does give Katakana a serious stamp of credibility is who is doing the training. Henry De Bromhead operates out of Knockeen in County Waterford and is one of the most respected yards in Ireland — a trainer whose operation has already sent out 110 winners this season alone. That's not a background yard trying its luck; that's a serious team that knows exactly what it's doing with the horses in its care. The fact that Katakana is still running under that roof, despite the modest record, suggests the team believes there's more to come.

The Thurles win in October was the breakthrough moment, and it remains the one time Katakana has shown what it can do when everything clicks. Whether that form can be found again is the question every racing follower following this horse will be asking. With a trainer of De Bromhead's calibre in charge and the horse clearly still fit and active, it would be unwise to write Katakana off entirely — but it needs to start turning promise into results soon.