Shihoku

The partnership with jockey Cieren Fallon hasn't cracked the code either. Six races together and no wins means the pair are yet to find the combination that clicks, though Fallon is clearly trusted enough to keep getting the ride. That kind of loyalty usually means someone in the team sees something worth persisting with.

Shihoku is trained by James Owen at Newmarket, one of the true homes of British racing, and the yard is clearly in fine form this season — 205 winners is a serious tally and puts Owen firmly among the busier, more productive trainers operating right now. That context matters, because it suggests the support structure around this horse is strong. It simply hasn't translated into a result for Shihoku yet.

The horse has spent most of its career running at Class 4 level — solid mid-tier racing, not the glamour end of the sport but genuinely competitive — and has gone 0 from 8 at that level. There's a case to be made that a drop in class might finally give Shihoku the edge it needs, or equally that a change of tactics could unlock something. The horse ran just one day ago, so the yard are keeping it busy. Whether that momentum turns into a first win soon is the question everyone around Shihoku will be hoping to answer.