Nil Bua Gan Dua

What makes the situation genuinely interesting is the yard behind it. Joseph Patrick O'Brien trains out of Owning Hill in County Kilkenny, and this season his operation has produced 154 winners — a remarkable volume that marks him out as one of the leading trainers in Ireland right now. When a stable is firing at that rate, it tends to mean horses are placed in the right races and given every chance to succeed. The fact that Nil Bua Gan Dua hasn't won yet is unlikely to be down to mismanagement — it's simply waiting for its moment.

The horse raced just yesterday, so it is very much in the thick of its campaign. With only four races under its belt, there is still plenty of time for the profile to change. Some horses take a handful of runs to fully click, and finishing third twice from four attempts shows it belongs on a racecourse — it just hasn't put it all together on the right day yet. In a yard producing winners at this rate, the opportunity to find the right race will come.