Sea Mirage

No wins from four races sounds underwhelming on paper, but context matters. Sea Mirage is trained by Kevin Ryan at his yard in Hambleton, North Yorkshire, and Ryan is having a productive season — 45 winners already suggests a stable operating in good form. Horses leaving that yard are generally well prepared, and a runner-up finish from a two-year-old that has only just turned the corner is often worth more than it looks. Ryan has a reputation for being patient with young horses and placing them where they have a chance rather than throwing them in at the deep end.

Sea Mirage raced just yesterday, so whatever happens next will tell us a great deal. A horse that ran only 24 hours ago and is already being considered for its next outing is clearly sound and robust — that matters more than people realise with a young horse. The question now is whether that second-place finish was the real Sea Mirage, or just a good day. One more solid run, or better still a first win, would start to make this a proper profile worth watching.