Merry Blacksmith

The one genuinely encouraging factor here is who is doing the teaching. Trainer Andrew Slattery, based in Thurles, Co Tipperary, has sent out 56 winners already this season — a strong operation with clear ability to get horses performing. When a yard is firing at that rate, it tends to mean the horses that haven't clicked yet are being placed patiently, not written off. Merry Blacksmith may simply be a work in progress in very capable hands.

At three years old and with only three races behind it, there is plenty of time. The form figures don't sparkle, but they don't tell a story of a horse hopelessly out of its depth either — mid-pack finishes suggest it is competitive, just not yet sharp enough to threaten at the business end. Whether that changes soon is the question worth watching.