Sosperi

What makes the record particularly hard to spin is the consistency of it — not in the good sense, but in the sense that Sosperi has never once finished in the first few. In six attempts, the horse hasn't troubled the judge, hasn't sniffed a place, and hasn't given punters much reason for optimism. The most recent run came just a day ago, so the team are clearly persevering and still looking for that elusive breakthrough.

McLoughlin's yard isn't without form — nine winners on the board this season shows the operation knows how to get a horse ready to win. That makes Sosperi something of an outlier in the string, a horse still searching for the race, the conditions, or simply the day when everything falls into place. Whether that day comes remains the open question.