Magny Cours

That victory at Listowel is the one solid moment to point to. It came over the shorter end of what suits Magny Cours best — somewhere between five and six-and-a-half furlongs — and that distance range is where the horse has done all its best work. In five races at that trip, it has won once and placed several times, a win rate of 20%, or 1 in every 5. Go outside that window and the results tend to thin out. The lesson is fairly clear: keep it short, keep it sharp.

The partnership with jockey Ben Coen is worth noting. In five races together they have won once — again, that 1-in-5 record — and if Magny Cours is going to find a way back to winning, having a rider who knows the horse is an obvious help. Daniel McLoughlin, the trainer based at Newbridge in Co Kildare, has had nine winners out this season, which is a yard in decent enough form. The infrastructure is there.

What makes the current situation slightly awkward is the six-race losing run. The recent form reads 3-8-2-5-2 going back from the most recent run — so there are places in there, and the horse ran just yesterday, meaning it is fresh in the memory of whoever is watching. A career earning pot built on one win and a string of near-misses is not flashy, but it does suggest a horse that competes honestly. Whether Magny Cours can turn one of those placed efforts into a win again is the question worth asking — particularly if it lines up over the right distance, at a track that suits, with Coen in the saddle.