Martin Plage

The recent form figures tell a consistent story, just not a winning one: 5-5-5-6-4-3 in its last six races, reading from most recent back. Finishing fifth three times in a row suggests a horse that is competitive enough to be placed in the mix but not quite able to force its way to the front. The one bright spot in the record is a single placed finish from six attempts — so it has been in contention at least once, which is something to hold onto.

Jack Quinlan has been in the saddle for five of those six races and has yet to get Martin Plage into the winner's enclosure. That partnership has produced a record of zero wins from five tries together, which is a run of near-misses and also-rans that will be frustrating for everyone involved. The horse typically lines up in Class 4 races — a mid-tier level where the competition is genuine but not elite — and has drawn a blank in all three races at that level.

At seven years old, Martin Plage is no youngster still finding its feet. Horses at this age tend to have a settled profile — you broadly know what you have — which makes the continued absence of a win harder to explain away as inexperience. The team at Mullins' yard will clearly believe there is a race to be won somewhere, and with 215 winners on the board this season, they have shown they know how to get horses over the line. Whether Martin Plage can finally join that tally is the question worth watching.