Milan Milos

The recent run of form makes for tough reading. Over the last six races, Milan Milos has finished 11th, 4th, 7th, 5th, 4th, and most recently 3rd — which is at least movement in the right direction. That third place is the closest thing to encouragement in a long while, and coming just 16 days ago it keeps the horse in active training and in the conversation. But zero wins from five races at Class 4 — the bread-and-butter middle tier of British racing — is a reminder that even at that level, a win has so far proved elusive.

Tom Gretton, who trains Milan Milos from his yard in Inkberrow, Worcestershire, has had 12 winners out of his stable this season, so the operation clearly knows how to get a horse to the winner's enclosure. The question is whether Milan Milos can be one of them. For now, the horse looks most likely to be the one that keeps giving its rivals a good race without quite managing to beat them — the kind of honest, consistent also-ran that fills out a field and occasionally surprises.

The one thing working in Milan Milos's favour is that recent upward trend. Going from 11th to 4th to 3rd in three successive runs suggests something is clicking, even if slowly. Whether that translates into an actual win remains to be seen, but after 11 races without one, that third place last time out might just be the most interesting thing that has happened to this horse yet.