Khalk'eau Spigao

What makes the situation interesting is the company Khalk'eau Spigao keeps. The yard behind this horse is Chris Gordon's operation in Morestead, Hampshire, and Gordon has been in seriously good form this season — 51 winners sent out already, which by any measure represents a yard firing on all cylinders. When a trainer is winning at that rate, horses in their care tend to be placed with care and purpose. The fact that Khalk'eau Spigao hasn't converted yet doesn't mean the team has given up; quite the opposite. A yard producing 51 winners doesn't keep running a horse for the fun of it.

At four years old, there is still time for things to fall into place. Some horses simply take longer to figure it out, and five races is not a long career. The honest truth is that nothing in the record so far suggests a breakthrough is imminent — but with a trainer in this kind of form pulling the strings, the next run is always worth watching.