Rajiba

The recent form tells an interesting story when you read it in order. Starting from the earliest run, Rajiba finished fourth, then second, then third, and most recently sixth. That dip back to sixth after back-to-back placed efforts is the kind of thing that keeps owners guessing, though with a race as recently as yesterday, the yard — sorry, the team — will have a clear picture of where things stand and what the next step looks like.

What works in Rajiba's favour is the yard behind the horse. Richard Hughes, based at Upper Lambourn in Berkshire, has sent out 60 winners already this season — that is a serious operation with serious resources. Hughes made his name as one of the sharpest jockeys of his generation before moving into training, and he has built a yard that clearly knows how to get horses to perform. A horse sitting on zero wins from four races is not a crisis in a yard of that size — it is a project, and Hughes has the tools to figure it out.

Rajiba remains a work in progress, but four races at three years old is still early days. Plenty of horses take time to find their confidence and their best conditions. The question now is whether the team can identify exactly what this horse needs — whether that is a particular type of ground, a different trip, or simply more experience — and put it in a position to get off the mark.