Misemerald

That recent form makes for uncomfortable reading if you're cheering this horse on. The last six races read 4-3-2-6-6-14 going back in time, so there is a flicker of encouragement at the front end — a run of placings, finishing second or third — but those two sixth-place finishes and a distant fourteenth before that suggest the current run of form wasn't always this tidy. The horse raced just yesterday, so it is right in the thick of an active campaign.

The partnership with jockey Andrew Mullen is arguably the most intriguing thread in this story. Together they have won 2 of their 9 races — that's roughly 1 in every 4.5 rides, or a win rate of 22%. For context, that is more than three times better than Misemerald's overall career record of 1 in 15. It is a striking difference, and it suggests something clicks when Mullen is in the saddle. Whether that is communication, style, or simple good fortune is impossible to say, but the numbers are hard to ignore.

Philip Kirby's yard in North Yorkshire has been in fine fettle this season, sending out 36 winners — a figure that tells you the stable knows how to get horses ready to perform. Kirby is clearly doing something right in a broader sense. The puzzle is that Misemerald has failed to win in any of its seven attempts at the level it most often competes at, which means victories have only come when the competition has been a shade lighter. Getting this horse back to winning ways at its usual level remains the challenge — but with Mullen in the saddle and a trainer in decent form, there are at least reasons to stay interested.