Katarcice

Whether that changes soon is the question worth watching. Katarcice raced just yesterday, so it is very much in the thick of its season, and with a sequence of places that tight, a breakthrough win feels more like a matter of when than if. Horses can go through patches where they seem to find one too good every time, and four races is still a small sample — there is plenty of racing left to write a different story.

What works in Katarcice's favour is the quality of the team behind it. Fergal O'Brien trains out of Withington in Gloucestershire, and his yard has been in outstanding form this season, sending out 90 winners already. That is the kind of operation that knows how to place a horse in the right race at the right moment, and the fact that Katarcice keeps hitting the placed positions suggests O'Brien's team believe in it enough to keep running. They will be patient. They will find their spot.