Naqeeb

His record in top-class racing tells a story of a horse who runs well often but rarely gets over the line. In Class 2 races, he has won just 1 from 11 attempts, a 9 percent win rate, suggesting he is right at the limit of his abilities when facing the best horses. Yet his form sheet is packed with second and third-place finishes—he has earned 13 places from 24 races—which means he is regularly competitive; he just struggles to find that extra gear when it matters. His recent form has been mixed: a win three runs ago, but also a couple of fifth-place finishes sandwiched around it, the kind of inconsistency that keeps a horse frustratingly out of reach of the winners' circle.

What makes Naqeeb interesting is that his team seems to have found something. Trained by Julie Camacho's Norton yard in Yorkshire—a stable that has sent out 46 winners this season alone—he has been ridden through his most productive period by Ryan Sexton, who describes him as a horse they are still learning about. Sexton noted that Naqeeb travels well once he gets into a race but used to take a while to settle; that kind of improvement in understanding suggests the horse and rider are building a partnership. He runs every few weeks and shows up consistently, the mark of a genuine competitor, even if victory has proved elusive more often than his the yard would like.