Overbudget

The recent form makes for intriguing reading. Three seconds in the last six races show a horse that keeps finding one too good on the day, which can be frustrating but also signals that a first win may not be far away. The seventh and eighth-place finishes suggest the odd bad day, as every horse has, but the overall picture is of an animal that belongs at the level it is racing at and knows its job.

Overbudget is trained by Dylan Cunha at Newmarket, one of the most competitive training centres in Britain. Cunha's yard has sent out 45 winners already this season, which is a healthy haul and suggests a yard operating with real confidence and good horses to work with. Having a three-year-old that keeps placing without winning is not unusual at this stage of a season — young horses take time to put it all together, and placing consistently is often the clearest sign that the penny is about to drop. Raced just one day ago, Overbudget is clearly fit and in an active campaign, and that continuity often works in a young horse's favour.

The story here is not one of failure — it is one of near misses. Four places from six races at three years old, trained by a yard in fine form, and raced regularly enough to be sharp. When Overbudget does finally break through, none of it will come as a surprise.