Sakoku

The most recent run came just yesterday, a ninth-place finish, which followed a more encouraging second place in its debut race. That early promise hasn't quite been matched since, but two races is an extremely small sample — plenty of horses take a few outings before everything clicks.

What gives real reason for optimism is the team behind the horse. Trainer J P Murtagh, based at Coolaghknock Glebe in County Kildare, has sent out 53 winners already this season — that is a yard operating at serious volume and clearly in fine form. Having a horse in training with a yard that's firing winners at that rate is exactly the kind of platform a young, developing horse needs. Sakoku may not have made its mark yet, but it is surrounded by people who clearly know how to get a horse to the winner's enclosure.