Sidiriya

That single win came at Galway back in September 2022, now 46 months ago, which is a long time to be chasing a second one. Galway is a tight, turning track that rewards horses who know their way around it, so the fact that Sidiriya found the winner's enclosure there at least once suggests some affinity with that sort of course. Whether that day represented a peak or simply a moment when everything clicked is hard to say, but it remains the sole highlight of an otherwise modest career.

Recent form is a mixed picture. Sidiriya has placed in four of its last six races — finishing second and third twice in that stretch — which shows the horse is competitive enough to be in the argument at the business end of a race. A 13th-place finish sits in the middle of that run, which suggests some inconsistency, but the two placings either side of it indicate the wheels have not fallen off entirely. Racing just one day ago, Sidiriya is clearly fit and active.

The partnership with jockey Simon Torrens has not produced a win in eight attempts together, which is not a criticism of either — some combinations simply do not find the magic, and with a horse of this profile, the margins are tight regardless of who is in the saddle. Trainer P J Rothwell, based in Tinahely in County Wicklow, has had a productive season with 35 winners from the yard, so Sidiriya is part of a stable that clearly knows how to get horses winning. The task now is finding the right race to make Sidiriya's second win a reality — 46 months is a long wait, but it is not over yet.