Senor Diaz

His recent form offers a mixed picture. A third and a fifth in his last two completed races suggest he is still running with some purpose, but the blank results scattered through his last six outings make it hard to build much of a case for him. He raced just yesterday, so he is clearly being kept busy, and that activity at least gives his team plenty of opportunities to find the right spot for him.

Jockey Micheal Nolan has ridden Senor Diaz six times without managing to get his head in front, and the partnership has spent most of its time competing at Class 5 level — the entry-level tier of British racing, where the competition is as accessible as it gets. Going winless from six races at that level is a telling detail. It does not mean Senor Diaz is without merit, but it does suggest that finding a race he can win requires something to fall just right. At seven years old, with 15 races behind him and no wins on the board, the window for a breakthrough is not getting any wider — but horses have surprised people before, and the fact that he keeps running and placing occasionally means the flame has not quite gone out.