Kevin The Great

The recent run of form makes for tough reading: six races without a win, and finishes of sixth, sixth, a blank, fourth, ninth, and eleventh in its last six outings — the most recent of those coming just yesterday, which means this is very much a horse in the thick of its campaign right now. The fourth-place finish stands out as the closest it has come to threatening the podium lately, and there are worse things than being a 4-year-old still learning what racing is all about.

Shane Foley has been the regular partner in the saddle, but their five races together have not yet produced a win. Foley is no ordinary jockey — he is one of Ireland's most respected riders — so the lack of a breakthrough is more a reflection of where Kevin The Great currently is in its development than any failing in the saddle.

The one genuinely encouraging thing here is where this horse calls home. Trainer Gavin Cromwell operates out of Navan in County Meath, and his yard has sent out 96 winners already this season — a volume that speaks to a well-run, active operation with horses that know how to win. Cromwell clearly has the tools and the knowhow. Kevin The Great may not have contributed to that tally yet, but being trained by someone producing winners at that rate means the support and the expertise are very much there. Whether Kevin The Great can eventually live up to its name is the question — but at four years old, with a busy season still unfolding, the answer is not yet written.