Saxon Cross

Trained by Stuart Edmunds out of Stewkley in Buckinghamshire, Saxon Cross is at least in capable hands. Edmunds has sent out 24 winners this season, so the yard clearly knows how to get a horse to the front. The frustrating thing about Saxon Cross is that the recent form isn't entirely without promise — a second-place finish sits in there among the last six races, showing the horse can get competitive when things fall right. But finishing second once in seven attempts, with a string of mid-pack results either side of it, paints the picture of a horse that is reliable enough to place occasionally but hasn't yet found a way to win.

The most recent outing was just yesterday, so Saxon Cross is very much an active runner rather than a horse being freshened up or reassessed. Whether Edmunds keeps rolling the dice looking for the right opportunity, or whether a change of approach is needed, is the question the yard will be quietly wrestling with. Twenty-four winners in a season suggests this is a trainer who finds opportunities that suit his horses — Saxon Cross just hasn't taken one yet.