Molto Amichi

The recent form tells an interesting story. Two second-place finishes and another third in its last six runs suggest this is a horse that knows how to get close. The frustrating part, for anyone following it, is that close is all it has managed. A 9th last time out — just one day ago — shows it ran and ran hard, which at least points to a horse that stays sound and active. But the sequence of near-misses will be familiar to anyone who has watched it build up a string of six races without a win.

Colin Keane, one of Ireland's most respected jockeys, has sat on Molto Amichi five times and has not been able to unlock a victory either. That says something — not necessarily that the horse is without talent, but that whatever combination of conditions it needs to win has not yet come together. Trainer Eoin Griffin, based at Slieverue in County Kilkenny, has had eight winners out of his yard this season, so the operation clearly knows how to get a horse to win. The puzzle is finding the right moment for this one.

At 13 races in, Molto Amichi is not a horse without experience. It has seen enough racetracks and enough starting gates to know the drill. What it has not yet found is the breakthrough. For a five-year-old with six placed efforts already on the board, the talent to be competitive is clearly there. Whether that translates into a first win is the question everyone connected with it will be hoping to answer soon.