Russet Gold

What makes Russet Gold interesting is not the wait, but the company it has been keeping. Eight of its 29 races have come at Class 1 level — the very top tier of British racing — and it has yet to win one. That is not a story of a horse punching above its weight and getting found out; that is a horse that belongs at that level, finishing in the places regularly enough to confirm it, but not yet converting. Its recent form reads 8-5-8-5-5-6 across its last six runs, which tells you it is not winning but is rarely far away in the mid-pack.

The pedigree adds a layer. After Russet Gold's win at Redcar, jockey David Egan pointed out that it is a half-brother to Daahyeh, a horse Ryan famously trained to win the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot — one of the most prestigious two-year-old races in the calendar. That kind of bloodline sets expectations high, and Ryan has not given up on meeting them. Speaking earlier this year, he made clear he would love to place Russet Gold to win a Listed race, one step down from the very best races, and believes there is still improvement to come with age. He is targeting a return in the second half of May.

Ryan's yard is in strong form, having sent out 45 winners already this season, so the platform is there. Whether Russet Gold can finally cash in on three years of near-misses remains the question — but a trainer who won the Albany with this horse's sibling is not going to stop trying.