Michonne

The recent form figures of 2-7-4-6 are worth a closer look. That second-place finish is clearly the highlight, suggesting Michonne can run to a decent level on the right day. The performances either side of it are patchier, but for a four-year-old still finding its feet, the fact that it has placed at all shows there is something to work with here.

Michonne is trained by Mrs John Harrington at Moone in County Kildare, one of Irish racing's more respected yards. With 52 winners on the board already this season, Harrington's operation is clearly in fine form — which makes it all the more interesting that they have kept faith with this horse through four winless runs. Good trainers don't run horses without a reason, and a yard firing at that rate tends to know when a horse is closer to breaking through than the bare results suggest. The short break of 35 days since the last race is fairly routine — enough time to freshen up without going cold.

Whether Michonne can convert one of those near-misses into a win remains to be seen, but with an in-form trainer behind it and a placed finish already on the card, the ingredients for a first victory are at least starting to come together.